Michael Phelps accuses USA Swimming of mistreatment: 'Treated me like a piece of meat'

PARADISE VALLEY, ARIZONA: USA Swimming is under fire following a disappointing finish at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, where the United States slipped to third in the overall medal table.

While American swimmers secured more total medals than rivals, China claimed first place with 15 golds and 37 total medals, and Australia edged into second with fewer medals overall but a higher gold count.

Swimming legend Michael Phelps joined fellow champions Ryan Lochte and Rowdy Gaines in voicing frustration over the team’s slipping dominance in the pool.

During the competition, Phelps and Lochte posted a meme on social media depicting the “funeral” of American swimming. Fellow three-time Olympic gold medalist Gaines also weighed in, criticizing USA Swimming for operating without a CEO despite the next Olympics being just three years away on home soil in Los Angeles.

USA Swimming defends World Aquatics Championships performance

In response, USA Swimming’s interim CEO Bob Vincent issued a statement expressing disappointment over the timing of the public criticism, citing the team’s struggle with illness during the competition.

The statement from USA Swimming read, “We respect and value the opinions of Rowdy, Michael, Ryan, and all USA Swimming alums. We acknowledge that their comments come from a place of passion and genuine desire to see USA Swimming succeed. We are saddened and disappointed at the timing of the comments."

"The USA Swimming team battled severe illness in Singapore, and these comments added public scrutiny to an already challenging situation for our athletes and coaches,” it added. 

“We are incredibly proud of the resilience of our team in the face of such difficult circumstances and remain confident in the leadership, strategic direction, and culture established by newly appointed National Team Managing Director Greg Meehan,” the statement further said.

The organisation said it valued the opinions of former athletes and insisted it had reached out to swimming icons in recent months to involve them in shaping the sport’s future. 

Michael Phelps calls out USA Swimming's ‘false statement’ and mistreatment

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history with 28 medals, accused USA Swimming of misrepresenting its outreach efforts, claiming they never contacted Rowdy Gaines.

He further alleged that former stars had been sidelined for years and that he himself was treated like “a piece of meat” during his career.

“Maybe a false statement, because I know they didn’t reach out to Rowdy. They’ve shoved us out the door for years. Treated me like a piece of meat throughout my career. Hopefully it changes someday,” Michael Phelps commented on an Instagram post from the Big Friendly Swim Podcast.

Following the criticism from Phelps and Lochte about the team's performance, Lilly King fired back on social media. After a medal-winning performance in Singapore, she tagged both men and wrote, “You have been real quiet tonight.”

Phelps replied, “We should be so proud of how the team swam as a whole …. Right? Apologies for having higher expectations for the leadership of the team. My opinions were way off. USA Swimming has what they finally want: me to ‘stay in my lane’. They will continue to help the kids reach childhood dreams by their continued support.”