Amanda Beard, Carl Edwards and Edwards' mother in happier times (Getty)In her book that was released Tuesday, gold-medal winning swimmer Amanda Beard detailed her year-long relationship with Carl Edwards six years ago in some pretty unflattering terms, saying that Edwards "only wanted to be on Carl time."
Beard wrote in the book that she has cut ties with Edwards "severely and permanently." She says she at first was enamored with the NASCAR lifestyle but that the excitement quickly waned.
She described having a beer with other drivers' wives and girlfriends in the driver motorhome lot at the track.
"Their entire existence revolved around their significant others," she wrote. "Three beers and a thousand predictions later, I wanted to scream, Don't you guys have lives? They were very sweet, but I didn't have anything in common with the rest of the women."
Beard's book, "In the Water They Don't See You Cry," is about her life and battles with bulimia and self-mutilation. Sixteen of the book's 349 pages are devoted to her relationship with Edwards, who was unavailable for comment.
Beard is set to compete in the 2012 London Olympics, while Edwards is currently 11th in the Sprint Cup points standings.
As the adage goes, there are two sides to every story – and we all know how experiences from broken relationships can be twisted, tugged and exaggerated. And we realize that Beard has books to sell, so taking her words at face value is foolish. Edwards is unlikely to publicly comment on the book, and quite honestly, why should he? Ignoring the story on a NASCAR off-weekend is probably his best plan of attack, as commenting would only extend its shelf life. Both he and Beard have moved on and are married with children.
