*Sorry for the delay in posting this morning.  I woke up to a broken router…so frustrating!  I’m now sitting at a coffee shop in Beaverton, trying to post.  Posts will be coming now!

Michael Phelps has apologized for photos that surfaced in Britain’s News of the World Sunday that show him apparently smoking a marijuana pipe.

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in a statement released to the Associated Press, and posted on his Facebook page, Sunday. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

The photos were snapped in November — three months after he set records by winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics — at a University of South Carolina house party.

Marijuana is banned under World Anti-Doping Agency rules. Athletes caught using drugs could face a two-year ban from the Olympics. Also at stake: his endorsement deals, which ABC estimated could be worth $100 million over the course of his lifetime.

The U.S. Olympic Committee released a statement saying it was “disappointed in the behavior recently exhibited by Michael Phelps.”

“Michael has acknowledged that he made a mistake and apologized for his actions,” the statement continued. “We are confident that, going forward, Michael will consistently set the type of example we all expect from a great Olympic champion.”

This isn’t the first time Phelps has faced controversy. In 2004 — the same year he won six gold and two bronze medals in Athens — he was sentenced to 18 months probation for drunk driving.

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