MARK SPITZ: “I FEEL BADLY FOR MICHAEL PHELPS”

MARK SPITZ: “I FEEL BADLY FOR MICHAEL PHELPS”

The Olympian whose gold medal world record was smashed by Michael Phelps has opened up to Usmagazine.com following Phelps' controversial pot pics. "As strictly a fan, I feel badly for Michael and the situation he has put himself in," Mark Spitz tells Us exclusively. "I think no one would wish this on anyone, especially the person that gave us a summer like no other in 2008." "I hope this only leads to a better tomorrow for him and his family," Spitz adds.

Phelps won eight gold medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, breaking Spitz's long-standing record of seven golds in the 1972 Munich games.

On Sunday, Phelps released a statement apologizing for his "regrettable" behavior in the photo, taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. "I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me," he said. "For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."