Michael Phelps' Post-Olympics Year: Bad Boy or Bad Luck?

Aug. 21, 2009— -- It's been a year and five days since Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal in the Water Cube at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, breaking Mark Spitz's previous record of seven golds and winning millions of dollars in endorsements in the meantime.

But while Phelps may have immeasurable talent mixed with a bit of luck in the pool, he has proven over the past year that he does not have much of that on land.

Just a few short weeks after winning five golds and one silver at the World Championships in Rome, the 24-year-old Maryland native got into a fender bender and was cited for driving with an expired and out-of-state license.

While police ruled the accident was not Phelps' fault -- the woman he hit ran a red light -- Phelps admitted he drank a beer roughly an hour before getting in the car.

He suffered a minor ankle injury, but wrote on his Facebook page it was nothing to worry about: "I am fine and glad nobody was seriously hurt."

This isn't the first time Phelps has had trouble behind the wheel. In November 2004, following his success at the Athens Olympics, where he won six gold and two bronze medals, Phelps, 19 at the time, was arrested for driving under the influence.

He pleaded guilty and was ordered to serve 18 months' probation. Phelps was also fined $250, and ordered to speak to high school students about drinking and driving, and to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) meeting.

In an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show, Phelps said it was an "isolated incident" and that he had "definitely let myself down and my family down ... I think I let a lot of people in the country down."

Like a bad case of deja-vu, Phelps found trouble once again following the 2008 Olympics.