Home | About NaturalNews | Contact Us | Write for NaturalNews | Media Info | Advertise with Natural News
smoking

Olympian Michael Phelps Caught Smoking Bong, Media Pressured to Kill Photos

Saturday, January 31, 2009
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)




Share
(NaturalNews) Super Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps has been caught in photographs depicting him partying and smoking a bong. The media is going crazy over the issue, calling Phelps a "pot head" and suggesting that his tens of millions of dollars in celebrity endorsements will now vanish. Corporate America, of course, doesn't want to associate itself with a pot smoker. So much for all the big corporate sponsorship deals.

You can see the photos of Michael Phelps expertly lighting up a bong here: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/150832/14-times-Olympic-gold-medal-w...

But I part ways with the mainstream media over all this. I was far more outraged when I saw Michael Phelps plugging McDonald's restaurants than seeing him smoking a bong. His bong smoking, after all, was a private affair (at least until the photo was snapped), while his endorsement of junk food and processed foods was intentionally made public for promotional purposes.

Not that I endorse his pot smoking, either, but at least he wasn't intentionally doing it for the cameras. You'll never see a picture of the Health Ranger smoking a bong, by the way, because I've never smoked a bong in my entire life -- something that many people find impossible to believe, especially given that I support the ending of the War on Drugs in America and the legalization and regulation of medical marijuana.

But there's even more to this story: News of the World reports that there was an attempted bribe (of sorts) offered to them by the agency representing Michael Phelps, known as Octagon. There, spokesperson Clifford Bloxham reportedly offered News of the World an "extraordinary deal" to yank the story, including making Phelps their columnist for three years, getting Phelps to host events, and even finding new sponsors to advertise with the online magazine and pay them money!

In return for this special treatment, Bloxham reportedly asked News of the World to kill the story, saying, "It's seeing if something potentially very negative for Michael could turn into something very positive for the News of the World."

The sleaze machine behind Phelps

This kind of sleazy deal-making is not going to portray Phelps in a positive light. Not only was the guy caught partying and smoking a bong, but now his agency is blatantly caught in a sleaze-slinging deal that attempted to censor the media in order to protect Phelps' dark secrets.

(This kind of thing goes on all the time, of course, with the mainstream media. Just imagine what kind of pull Big Pharma has over the press...)

This story continues below the photo. (Photo courtesy of News of the World, which deserves full credit for breaking this story (http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk).



Is Phelps smoking crack? Or is it just pot?

I have previously published strong criticism of Phelps, calling him a "sellout" for serving as an ambassador of McDonald's restaurants (http://www.naturalnews.com/023930.html). In that article, you can see photos of Phelps hawking McDonald's food for children.

Nobody got outraged about that in the media, of course. To most people, pushing junk food that compromises the health of children is fine. But smoking a bong that harms no one else is an outrage! (This sort of tells you how skewed American values are these days, huh?)

Phelps has also taken money to endorse sugary breakfast cereals for children. In August of last year, I publicly offered to serve as Phelps' nutritionist to get him on a healthier diet and boost his performance for the 2012 Olympics (http://www.naturalnews.com/023931.html). Not surprisingly, I never heard a word from Phelps' agents. They seemed to be a whole lot busier scrambling up some million-dollar paid endorsements for Phelps.

Well now the world has come to see in Phelps what I saw from the very beginning: That Phelps is a false hero who serves as a terrible role model for children. Phelps is a freakishly good swimmer with lousy ethics and an astounding lack of morality. He takes money to push products that arguably harm the health of children, and he's apparently been partying hard, pouring drinks for all the girls, slamming down booze and smoking up some weed.

One source from the News of the World article says about Phelps, "You could tell Michael had smoked before. He grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do. He looked just as natural with a bong in his hands as he does swimming in the pool. He was the gold medal winner of bong hits."

Again, I don't have an issue with Phelps smoking a bong in a bar, but the rest of the world does, and now the rest of the world considers Phelps a total loser... for all the wrong reasons.

Now, it seems, Phelps will be taking a big hit, and I don't mean the bong kind. He'll be taking this hit in the pocketbook, potentially costing him tens of millions of dollars in paid endorsements.

And that, friends, makes Michael Phelps' toke the most expensive bong hit in the history of the world!

Summary: The world freaks out over Phelps privately smoking a bong, but they're fine with him publicly promoting junk foods to children. What's wrong with this picture? It is the public, I think, that's on drugs here…

Get breaking health news + a LIFETIME 7% discount on everything at the NaturalNews Store
Join two million monthly readers. Email privacy 100% protected. Unsubscribe at any time.

Articles Related to This Article:

FDA unfairly maligns tobacco plant with graphic new cigarette warning labels

Teenage smoking is on the rise but the right services can save these young lives

Stop Smoking with Hypnotherapy

How to Quit Smoking Naturally

Why we should bar smokers from taxpayer-funded health care coverage

Clearing the air – links between smoking and osteoporosis strengthened (press release)

Related video from NaturalNews.TV


Your NaturalNews.TV video could be here.
Upload your own videos at NaturalNews.TV (FREE)



About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams launched NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org

Have comments on this article? Post them here:

 people have commented on this article.

Related Articles:

FDA unfairly maligns tobacco plant with graphic new cigarette warning labels

Teenage smoking is on the rise but the right services can save these young lives

Stop Smoking with Hypnotherapy

How to Quit Smoking Naturally

Why we should bar smokers from taxpayer-funded health care coverage

Clearing the air – links between smoking and osteoporosis strengthened (press release)

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us

Permalink to this article:

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):
Most Popular
Today | Week | Month | Year

See all Top Headlines...


GET YOUR FREE GIFT + SHOW DETAILS.


Now Available from NaturalNews.TV

Across the Web

More News...

Also on NaturalNews:

Health Ranger Videos
Activist music
CounterThink Cartoons
Food documentaries
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Support NaturalNews Sponsors:
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Most Popular Stories

Collecting rainwater now illegal in many states as Big Government claims ownership over our water Share
FDA finally admits chicken meat contains cancer-causing arsenic (but keep eating it, yo!) Share
Senate Bill S 510 Food Safety Modernization Act vote imminent: Would outlaw gardening and saving seeds Share
Anti-foaming agent found in Chicken McNuggets Share
Court rules organic farmers can sue conventional, GMO farmers whose pesticides 'trespass' and contaminate their fields Share
R.I.P. Bill of Rights 1789 - 2011 Share
Why McDonald's Happy Meal hamburgers won't decompose - the real story behind the story Share
Federal agents raid Mormon food storage facility, demand list of customers storing emergency food Share
H1N1 vaccine linked to 700 percent increase in miscarriages Share
14 signs that the collapse of our modern world has already begun Share
Artificial Sweetener Disease; a new breed of sickness Share
Forensic evidence emerges that European e.coli superbug was bioengineered to produce human fatalities Share
The NaturalNews Store

Huge discounts on supplements, raw foods, botanicals and healthly personal care products. Save up to 50%! Click here to see the current sale items

Health Ranger Storable Organics

GMO-free, chemical-free foods and superfoods for long-term storage and preparedness. Bulk pricing! Shipping immediately. See selection at www.StorableOrganics.com

25 Amazing Facts About Food

This FREE downloadable report unveils a collection of astonishing and little-known facts about the food we eat very day. Click here to read it now...

 

Resveratrol and its Effects on Human Health and Longevity - Myth or Miracle.

Unlock the secrets of cellular health with the "miracle" nutrient Resveratrol Click here to read it now...

 

Nutrition Can Save America

FREE online report shows how we can save America through a nutrition health care revolution. "Eating healthy is patriotic!" Click here to read it now...

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Michael Holick reveals fascinating facts on how vitamin D is created and used in the human body to ward off chronic diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, mental disorders and more. Click here to read it now...

Vaccines: Get the Full Story

The International Medical Council on Vaccination has released, exclusively through NaturalNews.com, a groundbreaking document containing the signatures of physicians, brain surgeons and professors, all of which have signed on to a document stating that vaccines pose a significant risk of harm to the health of children. Click here to read it now...



This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.