Washed Up Swimmer/Exhibitionist Uses Americas Most Famous Pothead to Get Her Name Back in the News

Amanda Beard loves publicity and probably is wondering why she didn't think of getting pictured smoking some grass to make some headlines. Beard, a two time Olympic gold medalist but best known for showing off her body in public, compared Michael Phelps' battle with bad PR to her own situation when she posed nude for playboy in a recent text message:

"If anyone knows public scrutiny, it's me. When I posed for Playboy, so many officials looked down on me. Michael knows he isn't a bad person. He made a mistake. People need to get over it. I want to cheer him on in London."

I think there are some big differences, here, Amanda. The only thing that you are known for is getting naked in various places to earn a buck while Phelps was best known as an Olympic champion swimmer. Plus, by the time you posed for Playboy you were already past your prime and no one really took you seriously as an athlete anymore (and judging by your poor results in Beijing were right in doing so).