Michael Phelps Is Not Gross

Michael Phelps's fans are so enamored with the Olympic gold medalist that they can't take a little joke at his expense. According to People Magazine, the Phelps brigade has turned an evil eye on American swimmer Amanda Beard after she jokingly told a Tucson radio show on Tuesday that she had "really good taste" and would never date Phelps. Beard told People that those close to her know what a "jokester" she is and that the comment was intended humorously. She told the magazine that she is "100 percent sorry" about what she said, and also remarked that she and Phelps often joke together because he's like a younger brother to her.

In an interview with Extra, Phelps also denied that he was dating Beard, although his response was markedly blander. "I think she has a boyfriend," he said. In Beard's defense, she does have a boyfriend. In the interview with People, she revealed that she has been dating a photographer for three years and that he has been with her at the Olympics. When she told the radio show that she likes "a little bit different-looking guys" from Phelps, she apparently meant her boyfriend. For anyone who follows Beard's antics, her tendency to shock should come as no surprise. The last time the public latched onto her, it was because she peeled her clothes off for Playboy.