Olympic champion Michael Phelps is having a further brush with the DUI law after being arrested for the second time on DUI charges in Baltimore, his home town.
The top swimmer is hoping to make the Rio Olympics, but the further DWI setback could create issues for that aim. He issued an apology that sounded very familiar to the ones he made after a drunken-driving arrest a decade ago, as well as when a British tabloid published a photograph in 2009 that showed him using a marijuana pipe. The current arrest, if it lead to conviction, could lead to a year in jail and a $1000 fine as well as the loss of licence and potential damage for his sponsors.
“I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility,” Phelps said in a statement. “I know these words may not mean much right now but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down.”
Maryland Transportation Authority police charged the 18-time gold medalist after officers said he was caught speeding and failed field sobriety tests.
The arrest came about a month after the 29-year-old Phelps won three golds and two silvers at the Pan Pacific Championships in Australia, setting himself up to compete at next summer’s world championships and at Rio in 2016.
