Michael Phelps was arrested recently for driving under the infulence of alcohol, while  women’s football goalkeeper Hope Solo (bottom) is facing trial for allegedly assaulting her sister and nephew.

 

DPA/Washington

Calls to punish athletes for their bad behaviour have been mounting in the United States as three top athletes who have recently attracted media scrutiny await criminal proceedings in November.

United States Olympic Committee President Scott Blackmun said he has seen a cultural shift in the way athletes’ behaviour should be addressed.

“For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem acceptable to wait and see what happens in the trial,” Blackmun said. “There seems to be more and more pressure to take action when an athlete is charged with a behaviour, as opposed to when an athlete is actually found to have committed the behaviour.”

US Swimming has placed a six-month suspension on the most decorated Olympian in history, Michael Phelps, for violating their code of conduct.

Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) outside of Baltimore, Maryland, in September.

He is scheduled to appear in court on November 19. But this isn’t Phelp’s first lapse of judgement with alcohol - he was also charged with drunk driving in 2004.

Phelps, who has won a total of 22 Olympic medals, is currently undergoing a six-week rehabilitation programme.

“I’m going to take some time away to attend a programme that will provide the help I need to better understand myself. Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual, and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future,” he tweeted on October 5.

The suspension has a harsh consequence - Phelps will not participate in the World Aquatics Championships, considered the biggest international swimming competition besides the Olympics, in Russia next August.

Women’s football goalkeeper and two-time Olympic gold medallist Hope Solo will go on trial November 4 for two misdemeanour domestic assault charges, and could face up to six months in jail if convicted.

She has pleaded not guilty to allegedly attacking her sister and 17-year-old nephew while intoxicated at their home in the state of Washington in June.  US Soccer’s decision to let Solo continue playing for the national team has been criticized in light of the National Football League (NFL) taking action against Ray Rice.

The Baltimore Ravens running back was indefinitely suspended from the NFL in September when a video of him knocking his fiancee unconscious in an elevator became public. The attack occurred in February at a casino in New Jersey. His now wife, Janay Palmer, did not press any charges and publicly defended him.

Rice is now appealing his suspension and has a hearing set for November 5. “I think this is a different situation, whether people want to believe that or not,” Solo’s teammate Abby Wombach told USA Today on Monday in reference to Rice’s suspension. “It’s hard for us because we want to back her, but then there’s this whole other dimension to it. I think that the truth will come out in her case,” she said. In order to prevent unacceptable behaviour during the Games, the US Olympic Committee has an ambassador programme in place to mentor athletes.

“One of the things we’re trying to do is focus the athletes’ attention in advance as opposed to after the fact,” Blackmun said. Before the Olympics, veteran athletes speak to teams about the opportunity and honour of being an American competing in the Games, and, most importantly, “how easy it is in today’s world to screw up and impair your long term value,” he said.

“I honestly believe that programme is invaluable in making our athletes think about consequences in advance,” Blackmun said. “We haven’t had any significant issues in the last few Games.”

 

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