Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps, who took home eight medals -- six of them gold -- at the Athens Olympics is now publicly apologizing for his arrest last Thursday on drunken driving charges.

'Last week I made a mistake,' Phelps said in a prepared statement. 'Getting into a vehicle after anything to drink is wrong, dangerous and unacceptable... I'm 19 but I was taught no matter how old you are you should take responsibility for your actions, which I will do. I made a mistake and I'm sorry about it.'

Maryland state police arrested the American sports hero last Thursday after he failed to stop his utility vehicle at a stop sign. 19-year-old Phelps, two years younger than the state's legal drinking age, also faces charges of impaired driving, failing to stop and violating license restrictions. He had two passengers in the vehicle with him, police said.

Phelps took to the Olympic pool this past summer chasing the record of seven gold medals in one Olympic year set by Mark Spitz. He missed the record by one, but gladly settled for six golds and two bronzes. He also missed out on a $1 million bonus from Speedo if he had at least matched the Spitz record.

With this embarrassing brush with the law, Phelps could lose lucrative sponsorship deals and may even have to spend time behind bars. In Maryland, drunk drivers faces up to one year in jail and a 1,000-dollar fine for a first-time offenders.