Comments on: Michael Phelps blows off IBM

Even in light of recent events, the Olympian remained a scheduled keynote speaker at IBM Pulse 2009. But he ended up canceling his appearance at the last minute.

[Ambs84]

Dude, your a dbag....MP has had one hell of a week and to say he was "juvenile" is bs. Would you want to be out and in front of the cameras and having the press breathing down your neck???? .....No.....didn't think so. So ppl just need to lay off of him, he apologized and it's over and done. Find someone else to complain about.

[Joel_Be]

I'd like to add my disgust for this article. Not only is the article pure speculation, it relies on a "moral outrage" stance from the media. So far, after discussing Michael Phelps with my friends and colleagues I haven't heard one of them think he was "juvenile". In fact, the majority of my friends and colleagues give more respect to Mr Phelps from being more human...

[biffhenerson]

The druggy deserves no sponsors. No future. Nothing. He let the USA down. Shame on him. Aint no room for druggies at IBM either. He might be able to swim like a ***** dolphin but he is a Looser when it comes to character.

[evion2]

He smoked illegal drugs, like mots young people he has made a mistake but his achievment is of a great pride to your country value it, man is foolish!

[pigmond]

@skillingssucks

Yeah, there are a lot of "shouldn't" in your world aren't there....let me lay it out for you if you'll put down the Cheetos and turn off the porn:

He signed a contract. Nobody forced him. Those contracts have moral restrictions. He blew it. Like Wheaties wants someone on their box that was *stupid* enough to smoke pot in a relatively public place. He got busted.

Quit excusing stupid behavior. Note carefully that I made no distinction as to whether pot is good or bad. The distinction I made is that he screwed up. It was his choice --

You can argue all you want what "should" be but it won't change anything. Get up and do something about it if you want to change things....

[pigmond]

@skillingssucks

Yeah, there are a lot of "shouldn't" in your world aren't there....let me lay it out for you if you'll put down the Cheetos and turn off the porn:

He signed a contract. Nobody forced him. Those contracts have moral restrictions. He blew it. Like Wheaties wants someone on their box that was *stupid* enough to smoke pot in a relatively public place. He got busted.

Quit excusing stupid behavior. Note carefully that I made no distinction as to whether pot is good or bad. The distinction I made is that he screwed up. It was his choice --

You can argue all you want what "should" be but it won't change anything. Get up and do something about it if you want to change things....

[hassan_bin_sober]

In the photo I didn't SEE any smoke; I didn't SEE any weed! Why would he confess to an act that likely never happened in the first place!

A zillion Olympic gold medals, ...Ya, He's impaired.

[viper396]

Do you not see his mouth stuck to a bong?? Did you think he was blowing soap bubbles with it?

Suffice it to say, deny something that obvious would have probable put him into more trouble.

[jamshid]

I know Oltsik is a blogger for his analyst group, not a journalist, but his gushing over IBM's "business ethics and respect for individuals" is pathetic.

Phelps, an American Olympics hero, "kicked IBM in the teeth"?

IBM can use the money Phelps refunded them to offer more laid-off employees an offshore job in their Project Match program. Yeah, that would be handing this "bad situation with extreme grace".

[sunflowerpipes]

So Michael Phelps is a guy who drinks at parties smokes a little gambles on high stakes games of beer pong and is the all time greatest Olympic medal winner he sounds like a pretty cool guy to me. Michael Phelps is an American hero he did a tremendous amount of work to achieve what he did. After the pride the country felt with the each gold medal Phelps won in China, how can Americans now fault the man for smoking a <a href=?http://www.sunflowerpipes.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_17_79?>glass pipe</a> at a college party. Michael Phelps is a real hero a normal person who has persevered and defied odds to accomplish something amazing not an icon of social moral servitude.

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