Phelps’ actions could hit him financially

BALTIMORE — Marketing experts have warned that Michael Phelps’ latest indiscretion could impact the record 18-time Olympic champion’s ability to command top sponsorship dollars.

The 29-year-old American swimming legend was charged by the Maryland Transportation Authority with driving under the influence of alcohol, excessive speeding — he was driving at 84mph in a 45mph zone — and crossing double lane lines in the Fort McHenry Tunnel on Interstate 95 in Baltimore, reported the Associated Press.

If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail, a US$1,000 fine and loss of his driver’s licence for six months.

Phelps received 18 months’ probation, a US$250 fine and was required to talk about alcohol awareness to students at three high schools for the same offence in 2004.

But in a report by NBC News, New York-based brand consultant Dean Crutchfield and Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, said the repercussions could be greater this time.

“The brand, Michael Phelps, took another hit with this latest news. Companies want to sponsor people that will reflect positively on their brands,” said Calkins.

Crutchfield added: “I hope Michael has saved a lot of money because ... (he’s) about to have his income curtailed and future sponsorships blocked.”

Some of Phelps’ current partners include Subway, VISA and his new swimsuit sponsor Aqua Sphere.

“We just need to wait and see what happens,” said Aqua Sphere CEO Don Rockwell. “This is not a deal-breaker for us, unless we find out something else that happened.”

It is not known if USA Swimming and US Olympic Committee will discipline Phelps for this indiscretion.

Phelps, who was also caught smoking a bong after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, returned to competition in April and set his sights on competing at his fifth Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. AGENCIES