USA TODAY reports that 5-time 2012 Olympic medalist and swimming star, Missy Franklin, could've jeopardized her NCAA eligibility by receiving a carepackage from pop superstar, Justin Bieber.
Franklin going down because of Bieber Fever? Never!
Franklin, a Bieber fan through and through, was thrilled when Bieber tweeted her a recorded video message of appreciation for her stunning performance at the 2012 London Olympic Games. A massive carepackage followed.
“(Bieber) sent me a huge care package, which was so awesome,” Missy explained on NBC's Today in August. “I walk home and my mom is so cute; she took everything out and set it out on the table. I had T-shirts and CDs and posters and all that stuff.”
Sadly, perhaps even ridiculously, the NCAA views carepackages from pop stars, like Bieber, something only a pro athlete would receive.
“It was really sweet of him,” Franklin told ESPN's Wayne Drehs. ”But it was considered a form of special treatment that could have jeopardized my amateur status. I've given up way too much and sacrificed too much to keep a Justin Bieber T-shirt and lose it all. So I sent it back.”
Franklin has maintained for nearly a year that she will attend and compete at the college level. She has committed to the University of California at Berkely and will continue her powerhouse swimming career under Coach Teri McKeever, the 2012 US Olympic Swimming Team Head Coach.