More aftermath of Bode's ill considered comments

Miller Criticized for His Drunken Skiing Comment

By NATHANIEL VINTON

WENGEN, Switzerland, Jan. 9 - The chief executive of the United States ski team said Monday that Bode Miller's comments about alcohol use in conjunction with competition were unacceptable, and that he would discuss the issue with Miller this week.
Toward the end of a profile on the CBS program "60 Minutes" on Sunday night, Miller, the reigning World Cup champion, said he had been in "tough shape" at the start of a race. "Talk about a hard challenge right there," Miller said. "If you ever tried to ski when you're wasted, it's not easy."
Bill Marolt, the chief executive of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, which includes the national ski team, is expected to arrive in Switzerland on Tuesday to meet with Miller. He said he wanted "to work with him to both recognize the seriousness of his comments and to reach a positive outcome."
Miller could not be reached on his cellphone Monday. He is in the Wengen area, preparing for the 76th annual Lauberhorn downhill, part of a three-race series Jan. 13-15.
Lowell Taub, Miller's agent in New York, said he expected Miller to release a statement before those races. "Bode has to both talk to ski team officials, and do a little soul searching on his own," Taub said in a telephone interview.
Taub would not say if Miller had been asked to apologize, but he did say that Miller was upset that CBS issued a news release in advance of the profile entitled "World Cup Ski Champ Admits to Being Drunk on the Slopes."
"I know firsthand that he feels badly that a CBS release painted the picture to youth that he thinks it's cool to drink before a race, which everyone who knows him as a person or a skier knows is simply not the case," Taub said.
Miller's sponsors are apparently staying with him, but the U.S.S.A. has received complaints about the controversy from donors and corporate sponsors, said Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the United States ski team. The International Ski Federation has criticized Miller's comments for setting a bad example.
Miller is also profiled this month in Maxim magazine. In an online version of the article, he goes "glass for glass" with the writer and talks about going out on the mountain drunk from the previous night, "just sobering up by the first round," and winning runs.
In interviews with ESPN the Magazine posted this week at ESPN.com three of Miller's family members said they were concerned with his lifestyle, but Miller's longtime friend and teammate Erik Schlopy said Sunday that he was not worried about Miller.
"Regardless of what happens from here on out, he's had a great ski career, so I'm not worried about him," said Schlopy, who has been out of touch with Miller for months because Miller travels the circuit in a motor home.
Miller has a reputation as a nonconformist on the World Cup stage; skiers who enjoy the nightlife are highly visible in the small towns of the circuit. Miller, 28, has never hidden his party habits while continuing to excel in World Cup events. This season, he is tied with Daron Rahlves, a fellow American, for second in the overall Cup standings.
Although he has been inconsistent in the first half of the season, Miller is still one of the best American skiers headed to Turin for the Winter Games on Feb. 10-26.
Miller has always been outspoken, and for years has been a beloved figure in the ski racing community for his outsize candor and talent. Last year, he won the overall World Cup title, the most prestigious award in the sport, but he returned to competition this season complaining of a lack of motivation.
He also turned up the anti-authoritarian rhetoric this season, starting out by arguing for the liberalization of anti-doping programs. Miller's arguments were sophisticated, if impolitic, and have evolved over the season.
In December, he was sanctioned by the international federation for refusing to submit to a routine equipment test. He threatened to quit the sport instead of paying a $762 fine, but the United States ski team paid it for him, said Philip McNichol, the head coach of the team.
"He talks a lot, and I think that's great," said Marco Buechel, a top-ranked downhiller from Liechtenstein who trains with the Swiss team. "I appreciate Bode, but sometimes I think the things he says are not so good. Bode says stuff that nobody on our team would say out loud."
Miller's agent was happy with the "60 Minutes" profile. "The piece was awesome," Taub said. "It showed that he is charismatic and intelligent and likeable and something that we as Americans can be proud of."
With the figure skater injured, Miller is one of the most visible American athletes headed to the Olympics. Kwan is not controversial, but Miller has a longstanding image as a rebel with a brilliant if completely unorthodox ski racing technique to match.