Why Can't We Give Michael Phelps the Same Break We Gave Santonio Holmes?

Last summer, we witnessed possibly one of the greatest individual performances in Olympic history when Michael Phelps swam his way to eight gold medals in Beijing. All the hard work put into swimming for the 23-year-old would eventually lead him to being named the 2008 Athlete of the Year by Sports Illustrated.

Phelps was sitting on top of the world after his performances at the Olympics. Guys wanted to be him. Girls wanted to date him. Even his mother became one of the most recognizable mom's in the United States as cameras would zoom in on her facial reactions after each event.

His performance in the Olympics led him to live the type of life most of us could only dream of. The never ending endorsements. Hosting NBC's Saturday Night Live. Even the Baltimore Ravens personalized a jersey for Phelps to wear on the sideline during one of their games. Nothing could go wrong for him, right?

Wrong.

Recently, a British tabloid published a photo of Phelps using the drug marijuana at a college party in South Carolina from early November. He has admit to using the drug and regrets the decision he has made. Unfortunately, an apology does not get Phelps out of the headlines.

The photo of Phelps has not only been costly to his swimming career but his image as a role model, too. Not only was he suspended for three months from USA Swimming, but he lost major endorsement deals from big name companies such as Kellog's and Subway.

It has been a little over a week since we witnessed one of the most bizarre finishes in Super Bowl history. Despite giving up a 13 point lead to the Arizona Cardinals, Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers rallied on the final drive to win Super Bowl XLIII 27-23.

With two Super Bowl victories in the last four years, the Steelers have made a strong case on becoming the next "dynasty" in the NFL.

On the final drive of the game, Steeler's wide receiver Santonio Holmes caught four passes for 73 yards, including the game winning touchdown. Holmes somehow managed to snag one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history after coming down with the football in the corner of the end zone. This was a tough task considering there with three Cardinal defenders around him.

After catching nine receptions for 131 yards and the game winning touchdown, it was obvious Holmes deserved Super Bowl XLIII MVP honors.

In late October, police pulled over Holmes because his car was similar to a car they had been suspected for drug trafficking. Even though police had the wrong car, they still smelled the use of marijuana and found three blunts in his car. Holmes claimed that the smell was from yesterday and that he was not driving while under the influence.

What did Holmes receive for this incident? When you compare it to Phelps, it seems like a slap on the wrist.

For his actions, Holmes was deactivated one game by head coach Mike Tomlin and apparently received a summon in the mail from police.

It's hard to compare the consequences both athletes had to deal with considering the popularity between Phelps and Holmes. Phelps won the hearts of America after an Olympic run that caught the hearts of millions.

He made a name for himself as one of the best swimmers in the world, which led to numerous endorsement deals.

Holmes may have made a statement as the best player in this year's Super Bowl, but he is far from being the best wide receiver in the NFL. If he had the same type of endorsements that Phelps had, I'm sure he would have suffered the same losses.

What the media needs to understand is that Phelps is a human being just like the rest of us. The amount of pressure he deals with as a 23-year-old in society is on a level that none of us can compare to. Is it a valid excuse for his actions? Of course not. There is no valid excuse for anyone to do drugs.

The main point the media needs to realize about Michael Phelps is that he made a mistake and was man enough to admit about it. If the issue about Michael Phelps is such a big deal, then how come nobody made it an issue when Santonio Holmes was named Super Bowl XLIII MVP?

Both Michael Phelps and Santonio Holmes made regrettable decisions in their past. However, they both realize the image they give to their fans who see them as role models. They realize how bad drugs make them look and have encouraged their fans to stay away from them.

Anyone who is human has made a mistake at some point in their life. Phelps is human just like the rest of us and made a mistake that he was willing to admit about. He is mature enough to admit his mistake and is dealing with the consequences.

If Santonio Holmes can hold up the Super Bowl MVP trophy and ignore his October incident, then why can't we do the same for Michael Phelps and give him a break?