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 The 18-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested for drunken
driving early on Sept. 30 after speeding and then crossing the
double yellow lines inside a Baltimore tunnel, police said.
"The last three months of my life have been some of the hardest
times I've ever gone through, some of the biggest learning
experiences I've ever had," Phelps, wearing a dark suit, white shirt
and blue tie, told reporters.
"I'm happy to be moving forward. I'll continue to grow from this."
Phelps, 29, was clocked by radar at around 1:40 a.m. traveling 84
miles per hour (135 kph) in a 45-mph (72-kph) zone, police said,
adding that he blew a .14 on a Breathalyzer, nearly twice the legal
limit of .08 in Maryland.
He faced up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
 "I hope we don't have this conversation again and I'm optimistic
that we won't have this conversation again," Judge Nathan Braverman
told Phelps during his sentencing.
Among the observers in the courtroom were Phelps' mother, Debbie,
his two sisters, and close friend Ray Lewis, the retired 13-time Pro
Bowl linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.
Police said an officer followed Phelps' 2014 Land Rover onto
northbound Interstate 95, through the Fort McHenry Tunnel, and
pulled him over just beyond the tunnel's toll plaza.
The drunken-driving arrest was the second for Phelps, who has spent
most his life working feverishly in the pool but admits he likes to
have a good time when not competing.
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Following his arrest, Phelps, who is eyeing a spot on the U.S. team
for the 2016 Olympics, was suspended for six months by USA Swimming
and barred from representing the United States at the 2015 FINA
World Swimming Championships in Russia.
Phelps said he completed a 45-day rehab program at an Arizona
treatment center following his arrest, continues aftercare in
Baltimore, and will participate in Alcoholics Anonymous.
"What I did was wrong, and I made a bad mistake," Phelps told
Braverman. "I'm looking forward to having a much brighter future
than I had in the past."
Phelps was charged in Salisbury, Maryland, in 2004 for drunken
driving. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while
impaired in exchange for 18 months' probation.
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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