Despite Michael Phelps Pleading Guilty, Mother Revealed the Untold Reality Behind His Arrest in 2004: “Tried to Have Someone Else Drive…”

Michael Phelps is arguably one of the greatest swimmers the sport has ever seen. With 28 Olympic medals to his name, the legendary swimmer smashed the record for the maximum number of Olympic medals to ever be won by an individual. He has had many moments of glory in his life, but some incidents made him the center of huge controversies as well.

Michael Phelps made his Olympic debut at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. He was just 15 at that time. Even though he did not win a medal at the games, the world got a glimpse of the potential that he had. In the following Olympic Games in 2004, Michael stunned the world by winning eight medals. However, an incident after the Athens Olympics left a mark on him forever. 

Michael’s mother reveals the reason for his arrest 

Michael Phelps had become very famous after a medal-winning bout at the 2004 Olympic games. A couple of months after the Olympics, however, he was arrested by the police for driving under influence (DUI) in November 2004. The media was always around his house thereafter to try and get a statement from his mother and sisters. Due to the presence of the media, his mother and sisters had to sneak out of their house to avoid getting noticed. 

In her book, ‘A Mother for All Seasons: A Memoir’, Phelps’ mother Debbie recalled the incident. She stated the shocking details of the ordeal faced by the family, as well as his arrest. Revealing details of his arrest, she wrote, “As I learned more of the details of the incident, I blamed him less because he had actually tried to have someone else drive after he’d had a few drinks. Apparently, someone in the crowd had made a crack about not giving the keys to his brand-new Range Rover to someone else.”

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However, Phelps took full responsibility for the incident. Speaking on that, she said, ” Michael never blamed that person but took full responsibility, putting in more hours of community service than required working with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and then speaking to Boys & Girls Clubs about making better choices.” 

Michael Phelps speaks on his arrest

After his arrest, Phelps appeared in court. The swimming legend behaved with dignity and showed remorse for his actions. Phelps expressed how sorry he was afterward. His mother revealed an incident in her book where a kid called at him and exclaimed, “Let’s go have a beer.” 

That incident affected Phelps a lot. Debbie recalled how his face had become utterly sad after that incident. Even after returning to the hotel, he sat there with his face rested against his hands, completely dejected by the incident. 

WATCH THIS STORY: Resurfaced video shows Michael Phelps Race of the century with Ian Thorpe, Pieter Van Den Hoogenband’s at 2004 Athens Olympics

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