Kellogg's drops Phelps like a bag of wet cement...

[Ajax Knucklebones]

***Think about it...You can do coke in your past and be president, but smoke a bong and you can't even get on the cover of a cereal box that kids don't even eat...***


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. said it won't renew its sponsorhip contract with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps because of a photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe. The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company said Thursday that Phelps's behavior — caught on camera and published Sunday in a British tabloid — is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg."
The company put Phelps on boxes of its Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes.
Phelps has kept the backing of many sponsors since the photo surfaced from a November house party at the University of South Carolina.
Phelps's agent was not immediately available to comment.
Kellogg says its contract with Phelps expires at the end of the month.

[Amelia G]

What non-stoned person would eat Frosted Flakes on purpose?

Interesting that most of the sponsors for Phelps were just like whatever, but Kellogg's has an issue.

It probably would hurt one's campaign to allow photos featuring rolled up currency in the nose to circulate. Not really the same thing as rumors or admissions of past coke use.

Thinking about it, though, I would way rather elect someone who does cocaine a lot than smokes pot a lot. I think energetic, cranky, and good at math would be better in the current economy than relaxed, prone to laughing at inappropriate moments, and unambitious.

If they did either one occasionally in their glorious youth, I don't care either way.

[DJ Bat]

Yea, I was hearing about this a few days ago and the topic was "Friends".

Such good friends Phelps has (had) to have sold him out for a fucking photo... Just to think, naturally the cliche scenario of 'choose your friends wisely' comes to mind but what if the person who took the pic was a close friend? Does anyone know? I mean great that the other sponsors weren't too caring about the situation, but for someone to have gone out of their way to make his life this way... must of really loved him... like a dose of chlamydia...

[Amelia G]

Yea, I was hearing about this a few days ago and the topic was "Friends".

Such good friends Phelps has (had) to have sold him out for a fucking photo... Just to think, naturally the cliche scenario of 'choose your friends wisely' comes to mind but what if the person who took the pic was a close friend? Does anyone know? I mean great that the other sponsors weren't too caring about the situation, but for someone to have gone out of their way to make his life this way... must of really loved him... like a dose of chlamydia...

It was probably just some random people he was partying with. Every drink one too many on tour with people who were not necessarily close friends, ya know? Cameras are just so ubiquitous now. You'd think that would make people more understanding, but instead it is scandal du jour.

[Morning Glory]

on one hand the president doesn't need to get any more paranoid, but that happens on coke too, and on pot he will just want to watch stupid movies and probably not drop bombs on people, so I'd rather have a stoner for president.

yes, it is a mystery why presidents can be on drugs, but professional athletes can't. Remember that Clinton admitted to smoking weed, and that didn't seem to bother anyone nearly as much as him getting a blow job. who knows.

[ForrestBlack]

I think product endorsement is a pretty specific kind of job, where the person in question is supposed to be a role model to a certain extent. I think it's only natural that some brands didn't care much, while others did.

But yeah, I think I'd be inclined to beat my 'friend' to death with a sock full of gold medals in that case.

[Mindgames]

Interesting that most of the sponsors for Phelps were just like whatever...

That'd be because they're stoned.


Kellogg's is just plain antsy when it comes to PR - they're one of the most paranoid sponsors I've encountered when it comes to anything even remotely 'adult'. Ironic, considering Corn Flakes were developed as a cure for masturbation.


(they don't - unless you glue them to a glove)

[Raza]

Wasn't Kellogs that company build on the name of some uber-christian moral crusader?

They make crappy stuff anyway.

[jonny.illuminati]

basically... if you going to be in the public eye and subject to idiots trying to get pics or whatever dirt on you...

do the things you want to keep private... wait for it... IN FREAKING PRIVATE...

sure people should be able to do things without the fear of being photographed and videoed, but that's not the way the world works...

[Ajax Knucklebones]

It just pisses me off...The whole fuckin' thing.

I hardly, HARDLY ever smoke pot anymore, but I'm amazed that after all these years since I was really involved with it, that it STILL has such a stigma.

If they had taken a pic of Phelps downing a bottle of Mad Dog, nobody, I mean NOBODY would have given a shit...But take a puff from a bong and this guy is considered a piece of shit! It's BULLSHIT!

The dude was the "face" of the U.S. in the olympics. He made America look so damn good. The only way for him to really benefit from all those fuckin' years of training is by making a ton in endorsements....AND he derserve it for getting all those fuckin medals.

So, what does Kelloggs do the first time he is shown doing something which I consider is basically actually pretty fuckin' normal for a kid his age....Turn they're fuckin' backs on him.

I would not be surprised one fuckin bit if the CEO from Kelloggs is snortin' some fuckin' coke as I type this.

The fuckin hypocrisy of it all.

And J.I....Come on...It's fuckin' pot. Not like the kid was caught on film shooting heroin while being blown by a 14 year old girl.

[batzilla]

Kellogg's dropping Phelp's doesn't bother me too much... whatever, it's up to them to decide what they want their sponsor to represent. But all of the rest of the brouhaha and articles and coverage and tsk-tsking about this dude smoking up makes me fucking furious. The worst it the parents saying "Oh no, how could he, what will I tell my child?"

First of all, he's NOT A ROLE MODEL just because he's crazy-good at swimming. He's not a saint, he doesn't change lives, he's just an athlete.

Secondly, if you're really anti-pot, this is a perfect way to talk to the kid about it -- "See Jimmy, anyone can make a mistake about pot, even someone who's very 'cool' and successful like Phelps. But now that he's done it, see how it's ruining his reputation? That's because it's bad for you. So, don't let anyone pressure you into doing it even if they're 'cool'." Or, if you're a reasonable human being, you could say -- "Yes, pot is a drug that some grown-ups use, like wine and beer. It makes people dumb and silly, some like it and some don't. You can decide when you're older if you want to try it some day, but be more discreet than Phelps."

[Morning Glory]

To play the devils advocate here, people seem to be forgetting that possession of marijuana is a crime. Why should someone be allowed to be photographed committing a criminal act and have no negative repercussions because of it?

On top of that it's against the rules of the Olympics and the national swim team. Phelps knowingly committed an action that could jeopardize his career, I don't really see how he has anyone else to blame for what is happening to him now.

I call it a double standard: people want to be treated special for what they do, but only if it is good. when it means that they have to be treated harsher than a normal person, they bitch and complain, why me? well, you can give back your 14 medals and sit around on the couch with all the other college kids and smoke pot all day if you don't like it. that's the price you pay.

[Mr Karl]

besides who's to really say it was marajuana he was smoking with that?could be anything burning in there

[Ajax Knucklebones]

To play the devils advocate here, people seem to be forgetting that possession of marijuana is a crime. Why should someone be allowed to be photographed committing a criminal act and have no negative repercussions because of it?

On top of that it's against the rules of the Olympics and the national swim team. Phelps knowingly committed an action that could jeopardize his career, I don't really see how he has anyone else to blame for what is happening to him now.

I call it a double standard: people want to be treated special for what they do, but only if it is good. when it means that they have to be treated harsher than a normal person, they bitch and complain, why me? well, you can give back your 14 medals and sit around on the couch with all the other college kids and smoke pot all day if you don't like it. that's the price you pay.

So is jaywalking.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

To play the devils advocate here, people seem to be forgetting that possession of marijuana is a crime. Why should someone be allowed to be photographed committing a criminal act and have no negative repercussions because of it?

On top of that it's against the rules of the Olympics and the national swim team. Phelps knowingly committed an action that could jeopardize his career, I don't really see how he has anyone else to blame for what is happening to him now.

I call it a double standard: people want to be treated special for what they do, but only if it is good. when it means that they have to be treated harsher than a normal person, they bitch and complain, why me? well, you can give back your 14 medals and sit around on the couch with all the other college kids and smoke pot all day if you don't like it. that's the price you pay.

And to be technical...He's not in possession of anything but all those medals. To possess means you have to be caught holding.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

So is jaywalking.

And to be really, really technical, I could go down to the police department right now and show them a picture of me smoking pot and they can't arrest me, ticket me, or do a damn thing to me. They could get a search warrant or pat me down, but if I have nothing in my house or on me...I can just laugh and go on my merry way.

Supposedly his pic was taken BEFORE the olympics and he, like all athletes in the olympics, are subjected to ruthless drug tests to see if they are "clean".

[Morning Glory]

Jay walking isn't a crime, it's a civil violation.

He was caught holding... a bong with pot in it.

You could do that, and technically they could arrest you for it since you just confessed to committing a crime. It's up to a court to find you guilty or not, so legally speaking having evidence against you is not a requirement for pressing charges. There's tons of people that actually get convicted of a crime, even people that have been executed for it, based on a case without any physical evidence.

Also it would probably make your life pretty miserable if someone like say your employer thought that you were a drug user.

[Raza]

To play the devils advocate here, people seem to be forgetting that possession of marijuana is a crime. Why should someone be allowed to be photographed committing a criminal act and have no negative repercussions because of it?

Cause... the law is wrong.

On top of that it's against the rules of the Olympics and the national swim team. Phelps knowingly committed an action that could jeopardize his career, I don't really see how he has anyone else to blame for what is happening to him now.

Being able to predict how others will respond to you does not render you responsible for their reactions. 'Blame' goes to people that do something detrimental, not to people that do something neutral that other people do something detrimental in response to.

I call it a double standard: people want to be treated special for what they do, but only if it is good. when it means that they have to be treated harsher than a normal person, they bitch and complain, why me? well, you can give back your 14 medals and sit around on the couch with all the other college kids and smoke pot all day if you don't like it. that's the price you pay.

That's ridiculous; doing something that leaves you in the public eye doesn't suddenly put you into a new ethical category where you deserve harsher penalties for behaviour completely unrelated to what you did to get famous. If you do something well and get positive attention, then that's a clean deal, fair and finished. People don't suddenly get to do things to you that wouldn't otherwise be permissible merely because you got their attention - or rather, you did something independent, and they chose to give you their attention for it.

What you're saying is equivalent to declaring that if I'm willing to accept praise for - say - drawing a nice tattoo, I should be equally willing to be punched in the head for it by someone that doesn't like it in order to avoid setting a 'double standard'.

[Morning Glory]

yeah, that didn't make any sense. It really doesn't matter if you think the law is wrong, you're not the one that get's to decide what the law is. If you really want to you can become a US citizen, run for senate and then vote to overturn the law, but it will be a little late for Phelps by then.

You don't have to agree with the law, but you have to know what might happen to you if you break it. Sure it's not fair, but as my parents always told me:Life isn't fair. deal with it.

[Buster Friendly]

Thinking about it, though, I would way rather elect someone who does cocaine a lot than smokes pot a lot. I think energetic, cranky, and good at math would be better in the current economy than relaxed, prone to laughing at inappropriate moments, and unambitious.

Does Micheal Phelps seem like an under achiever to you Amelia?

I get kind of sick and tired of hearing about how pot "makes" people stupid, and "unambitious".

I know just as many subjectively successful people who happen to smoke pot on occasion, as I do stoner burn outs.

I quit smoking weed years ago, it didn't alter my personality one bit.

[Raza]

yeah, that didn't make any sense. It really doesn't matter if you think the law is wrong, you're not the one that get's to decide what the law is. If you really want to you can become a US citizen, run for senate and then vote to overturn the law, but it will be a little late for Phelps by then.

You don't have to agree with the law, but you have to know what might happen to you if you break it. Sure it's not fair, but as my parents always told me:Life isn't fair. deal with it.

Obedi-Os and fatalism-flavoured kool-aid; the complete breakfast for a selective perception!

[Morning Glory]

how laughable, you live in a make believe world where just because you took a philosophy class means that anyone else will give a shit about doing things the way you want them to be done. talk about selective perception. I'm done talking to you.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

Jay walking isn't a crime, it's a civil violation.

He was caught holding... a bong with pot in it.

You could do that, and technically they could arrest you for it since you just confessed to committing a crime. It's up to a court to find you guilty or not, so legally speaking having evidence against you is not a requirement for pressing charges. There's tons of people that actually get convicted of a crime, even people that have been executed for it, based on a case without any physical evidence.

Also it would probably make your life pretty miserable if someone like say your employer thought that you were a drug user.

***He was caught holding... a bong with pot in it.***

Bullshit. Who says it was pot? How can they prove it? And no they can not arrest you for saying at one time I smoked pot and here's a picture to prove it. They can't...You're wrong. Look it up. This isn't a murder case. It's a dude smoking pot. The cops would be totally wasting their time and the court's time because unless they catch you WITH the drugs, what are they going to find you guilty of? Being stoned some time in your past? Clinton ADMITTED to smoking pot. Did they arrest his ass?

And an employer thinking and having hard evidence is two different things. You might say the pic is hard evidence...As an employer, let me tell you...It's not. I don't know when the pic was taken? Do you? All I could do is have my employee take an immediate drug test. If it came up he has no drugs in his system and I fire him...I can get sued. Look that up to.

[Raza]

how laughable, you live in a make believe world where just because you took a philosophy class means that anyone else will give a shit about doing things the way you want them to be done. talk about selective perception. I'm done talking to you.

I daresay you've been adressing primarily yourself for at least two posts already.

[Morning Glory]

[QUOTE=Ajax Knucklebones]

Bullshit. Who says it was pot? How can they prove it?

that is where the part about the confession comes in. I agree with you, and I think that is what Phelps should have said, but instead he admitted it and apologized, thus confirming his guilt. Of course they wouldn't waste their time trying to prosecute you over something absurd like that, I was merely matching our unnecessary dialogue about technicalities.

I don't agree with it and I think that pot is harmless and should be legal, but I think that it is naivety to fail to understand the reaction it will get from people who think otherwise, and I was just demonstrating their thought process, and why it should be taken into consideration if you want to know what will happen to you if you do such things.

All I could do is have my employee take an immediate drug test. If it came up he has no drugs in his system and I fire him...I can get sued. Look that up to.

that depends on the labor laws and specifics of your work contract. Many states have no laws regulating how a business may hire or fire, and they only have to obey federal laws on the subject, which don't apply to these kinds of things. You often have to sign a pre-employment contract saying that your job is on an at will basis and you can leave anytime you choose to or they can no longer render your services (fire you) whenever they choose to as well.

In Phelps case he was contracted for endorsement of a certain time period, after that period is over his sponsors have no prerogative to continue doing business with him if they don't want to.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

***that depends on the labor laws and specifics of your work contract. Many states have no laws regulating how a business may hire or fire, and they only have to obey federal laws on the subject, which don't apply to these kinds of things. You often have to sign a pre-employment contract saying that your job is on an at will basis and you can leave anytime you choose to or they can no longer render your services (fire you) whenever they choose to as well. ***


That's kind of true and kind of not. You can layoff a person at will...Of course then you pay unemployment, but if you "fire" someone, you still have to give a reason. If there is no basis for it, the employee can sue. Firing someone because you say you think they're doing drugs and say so in the "firing", even though a drug test comes up clean, can get an employer in alot of hot water. The problem is since the reason is not proven, the employee can basically sue you for all kinds of reasons. If the employer is a male and the employee is female, the female can then get a lawyer and say that they actually fired you not because of thinking you did drugs. He fired you because he doesn't like women in general. A good lawyer with dollar signs in his head actually could scare the crap out of the company and get a pay off just to avoid the publicity. Just because a law says one thing, doesn't mean lawsuits can't be made. We're a lawsuit-happy country and when it comes to civil liberties...Watch out if you're an employer. It's all sticky business but one employers watch all the time.

[Morning Glory]

maybe. I still say that they can come up with any bullshit reason, like saying that you were just a lazy worker, etc. Or they can just not fire you and treat you like shit and make your work experience a hell until you want to quit. that one works pretty good.

and most lawyers charge at least some fee up front. We may be a lawsuit happy nation, but I'm not so sure which way a judge is going to be swayed to in a case where it's simply one person's word against anothers. They seem to usually side with other authority figures such as respectable business owner versus the guy who has had 16 different jobs.

[nathanmbailey]

Actually, at this point, the employers have less pull than an employee. In an employee lawsuit, the employee doesn't have to prove the employer did whatever illegal/unfair/whatever act, but the employer has to prove that they didn't. My mom is a manager for a commuter train and the ticket agents are a few stations are part of what she manages. She fired a woman for stealing money, the bitch sued for racial harrassment, and my mom had to spend weeks going through tapes just to find when she did it and how many times and have evidence for each and every time.

On that, I understand where Kelloggs is coming from. Most of their cereals are targeted for kids, so it makes them look bad as a company to have a drug user on the cover of a cereal box at some kid's breakfast table. It's understandable.

Do I agree with as much attention as Phelps is getting? No, I don't think it's a big deal, same as about 80% of the country according to the last poll I heard of. He put himself into the limelight, so just like any other celebrity, there's someone out there trying to get a picture of him doing something stupid so that some huge scandal can insue. Obviously he didn't piss hot at the Olympics and he's not competing right now, so where's the problem?

Oh, and yes he admitted it was weed. It was actually a better move. If he denied it and said it was tobacco or something else that everyone would know was a lie, it would just draw out this whole ordeal even longer. Instead, he admitted to it, and everyone can move on a lot faster. From what I've seen, it seems like he's dealing with it well enough, just taking the hit and trying to keep what he can together.

[LaurenWK]

I really can't believe what a huge deal this is being made into. However, as a few of you have said, I can understand why a company that targets children would want to sever ties with him.

What non-stoned person would eat Frosted Flakes on purpose?

Hey... I love Frosted Flakes....

[Morning Glory]

From what I've seen, it seems like he's dealing with it well enough, just taking the hit

isn't that what got him in trouble in the first place?

whawhawha!

[LaurenWK]

isn't that what got him in trouble in the first place?

whawhawha!

My thoughts, exactly, ahahah.

[Nicotine]

BUT HE DIDN'T INHALE!!!

Apparently, Monica didn't, either. Oh snap.

[ForrestBlack]

Apparently Subway has stated they have no problem with it and are keeping his endorsement, which I think is just brilliant. Also, some people seem to think it's pretty lame that Kelloggs knew about his DUI from when he was 19 and didn't have a problem with that.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

Apparently Subway has stated they have no problem with it and are keeping his endorsement, which I think is just brilliant. Also, some people seem to think it's pretty lame that Kelloggs knew about his DUI from when he was 19 and didn't have a problem with that.

That's what I mean about the double standards of alcohol and pot. So stupid.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

Apparently, Monica didn't, either. Oh snap.

[soma_stardust]

That's what I mean about the double standards of alcohol and pot. So stupid.

this whole thing pisses me off.
alcohol, pot, w/e - pick your vice... IT'S ALL STUPID. we're all going to do what we want anyway. i'm pretty damn sure alcohol causes more deaths.
damn government should leave us the fuck alone. if you're going to let people drink themselves into a coma, they should be able to get stoned or smoke in fucking public.
just saying.
some laws are just retarded.
and kellogg's fails at life.

[Amelia G]

Does Micheal Phelps seem like an under achiever to you Amelia?

I get kind of sick and tired of hearing about how pot "makes" people stupid, and "unambitious".

I know just as many subjectively successful people who happen to smoke pot on occasion, as I do stoner burn outs.

I quit smoking weed years ago, it didn't alter my personality one bit.

There are people who can snort smack, get mildly high, not vomit, not overdose, not suffer any ill effects any worse than a standard hangover, and quit whenever it is convenient.

There are people who can smoke pot, get mildly high, not overeat, not laugh at anything which isn't funny, and still show up for work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and raring to go the next day.

Anti-drug crusaders always present the worst case scenario. I think it should all be 100% legal, taxed like any business, regulated for purity like any food or medicine, etc. If some people end up with problems, that's just Darwinism.

I used to have a housemate who developed a real problem with No Doz because she was snorting it, pretty much not sleeping, and looking for religion in (this is the inexplicable part) old Pink Floyd albums. But there is a Starbucks on practically every block in every major population center.

It totally baffles me that so many people who are pro pot legalization will defend their point of view by pointing out that alcohol and cigs are legal . . . and then turn around and claim that marijuana is not a drug like cocaine or heroin. Uhm, judge not drug-user, lest ye be judged.

All that said, no, I do not think casual pot smoking will decrease someone's ambition in any notable way, any more than casual use of just about any drug is going to make a major difference in behavior beyond while someone is actively on it. Although one doesn't really have the mental image of the successful stockbroker smoking pot with his comrades in arms before driving more huge money-making deals through . . . what's the drug one thinks of there?

[Morning Glory]

pot doesn't make people stupid and unambitious. it just happens that most people who smoke pot already are stupid and unambitious...possibly because those who aren't have better things to do with their time than sit around smoking pot all day? which let's face it, is not really conductive to getting a whole lot done.

that's not really a dog on pot. I'm just saying if you want to get stuff done, then you probably shouldn't be getting really high. If you want to veg on the couch and watch star wars, then more power to you.

[Amelia G]

pot doesn't make people stupid and unambitious. it just happens that most people who smoke pot already are stupid and unambitious...possibly because those who aren't have better things to do with their time than sit around smoking pot all day? which let's face it, is not really conductive to getting a whole lot done.

that's not really a dog on pot. I'm just saying if you want to get stuff done, then you probably shouldn't be getting really high. If you want to veg on the couch and watch star wars, then more power to you.

Honestly, I went to university with the best and the brightest and some of them got at least temporarily pretty stupid and unambitious with wake and bake pot smoking. They didn't start out that way. A chick whose high school had been I think the prestigious Choate actually sold a bag of like a pound of pot and oregano to a 40+-year-old cop who knocked on her door with no references. I'm quite certain she wasn't that idiotic coming in, but she overdid the pot smoking.

Which is absolutely not to say that occasionally getting giggly and watching Star Wars and eating junk food is going to cause any damage whatsoever.

[Morning Glory]

It's hard to say. I think that many kids, especially ones that go to those prestigious schools are pushed into it by their over-achiever parents. Because they have been coached their whole lives into being smart and ambitious, when they get out on their own and get to be under their own control, they overdo it in the opposite direction.

it's the chicken and the egg scenario, but I have a hard time believing that pot is going to turn someone into something that they weren't already.

But then admittedly my experience is not with high-achievers, it's with high school drop outs, or at best community college.