Michael Phelps Sentenced In Drunk-Driving Case

Michael Phelps, a Rodgers Forge native and the most decorated Olympian of all time, appeared in court Friday for charges including driving under the influence. It was his second DUI.

He pleaded guilty and received a one-year sentence, with all jail time suspended, according to WJZ, which reported he will be on probation for 18 months.

Phelps is not allowed to drink alcohol while on probation, according to Fox 45, which reported the Olympic swimmer was accompanied by his mother and sister at the hearing, where retired Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was in attendance as well.

“I made a very, very bad mistake,” Phelps said outside the courthouse after the sentencing, WBAL reported.

Related: More Details Surface About Phelps DUI

He will receive at least six months of alcohol counseling and will be allowed to continue training and traveling for swimming, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Phelps was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, exceeding maximum speed (84 mph in a 45 mph-zone) and crossing double-painted lanes on Sept. 30, according to court records.

A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer stopped Phelps near the Fort McHenry Tunnel at approximately 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, after noticing his white Land Rover speeding and drifting out of its lane, according to charging documents released by WJZ.

Phelps blew 0.14 into the breathalyzer, charging documents state. The legal blood alcohol level for driving in Maryland is 0.08.

The Olympian told the officer he was coming from the Horseshoe Casino, according to ESPN. He had been there for about eight hours, drinking beer and gambling in a private VIP room, TMZ Sports reported. Phelps, who grew up in Rodgers Forge and graduated from Towson High School in 2003, now lives in the Canton area. He was pulled over approximately 10 minutes from home.

See Also: Michael Phelps Arrested for Drunk Driving

This was Phelps’ second DUI. He was 19 when he received the first, near Salisbury University on the Eastern Shore. He received probation before judgment at the time, according to The Baltimore Sun.

After his arrest this fall, Phelps tweeted: “I’m going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself.”

He attended a six-week inpatient program in Arizona for rehabilitation, according to WJZ.

Since completing the program, which he entered in October, Phelps returned to Baltimore and began training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, USA Today reported.

Related: ‘I Understand the Severity of My Actions,’ Phelps Says

Due to the DUI charge, USA Swimming suspended Phelps for approximately six months.

The organization also suspended him for three months in 2009 due to marijuana use, according to NBC Sports. In that instance, a photograph was published by a British tabloid showing Phelps smoking marijuana at a party at the University of South Carolina, ESPN reported.

“I will continue to grow,” Phelps said Friday in Baltimore, according to a report from Fox Sports, continuing: “and I will help other people to not make this mistake...”

Related:

• Towson Native Michael Phelps Suspended from USA Swimming
• More Details Surface about Phelps DUI
• Bored with Retirement, Phelps Pursues Rio Comeback