Mark Spitz feels sorry for Phelps

Recently, Spitz was asked to speak at a dinner in Little Rock sponsored by the Development Council of Central Arkansas Christian Schools. He had a chance to remark on the Michael Phelps bong photo controversy:

"As a fan, I feel sorry and I feel badly for him at this time," Spitz said. "Nobody would want to wish that upon him, I'm sure. He's obviously dealing with it in a way that he feels appropriate, and I'm not one to comment on whether it's right or wrong because I'm not with his management team." [Link]

I'm glad to hear about some sympathy from the one guy with a career similar to Phelps'. He knows the amount of pressure and stress involved with being the world's best athlete because he himself was that at one point.
Regardless of your stance on Phelps' marijuana use, its always interesting to hear Spitz comment on Phelps considering he took Spitz's gold medal record. I always wondered if there were hard feelings, but apparently not!