After six months, he's back and may even find more forgiveness down the line.
Multiple media outlets are reporting that swimming legend Michael Phelps' six-month suspension from the sport for a drunken-driving incident will come to an end next week when he competes at the Arena Pro Swim Series in Mesa, Ariz.
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"My suspension is finally up! Time to get back in the pool and race again! Looking forward to #mesa !!" Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, said on Twitter.
Reuters reported that the Mesa event was the one in which Phelps officially ended his retirement last year.
In September, the swimmer with 22 Olympic medals and 72 professional medals overall, was stopped in a police zone for driving 84 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone in Baltimore. Reuters reported that he also crossed double-lane lines inside a Baltimore tunnel.
The 29-year-old Phelps, whose DWI was his second - he also was changed in 2004 - checked himself into rehab and still is serving 18 months' probation.
BBC.com reported that Phelps also had been banned from taking part in the World Championships in Russia over the summer, but USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus told ESPN.com last week that he and Phelps have discussed paths for a possible reinstatement.
"It's complicated, but there are ways in which it could happen," Wielgus said. "There's a pathway for things to be reconsidered -- or considered."
National team member and Olympian Natalie Coughlin told ESPN.com that she thought the World Championships ban was excessive.
"Not only do world championships fall outside the six-month suspension, but it also punishes his teammates, particularly those that would share a relay spot with him," Coughlin wrote. "We always want to have the best people racing, and he has proven himself to be the best, time after time.
"I was concerned with the 'slippery slope' nature of his removal. Furthermore, I was most concerned that Michael was being punished because of his celebrity status. I seriously doubt that anyone else would have received the same punishment if they did the same crime. All that being said, I am in no way condoning his behavior. What he did was dangerous and illegal. It's a miracle that no one was hurt. Michael is a great person who has made some serious mistakes."
However, who will think that Phelps is getting preferential treatment if he is allowed to compete in the World Championships?
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