In portions of a full interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer Saturday night, USA swimmer Ryan Lochte attempted to clarify his role in the early morning episode at a Rio de Janeiro gas station last weekend. They lowered the guns and I used hand gestures to ask if it was okay to leave and they said yes. “They let down Americans”.
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Lochte originally described the August 14 incident as an armed robbery, before the story unraveled.
More of the interview will air on NBC’s primetime coverage of the Olympics this evening.
The 20-year-old said the guards confronted them after they had urinated behind some bushes and Lochte tore the metal-framed advertising poster from the wall.
A tearful Ryan Lochte has said sorry to his U.S. swimming team-mates, his family and the people of Brazil for a “stupid mistake” at a Rio gas station that overshadowed the final week of the Olympic Games.
Rio’s Civil Police said Thursday, “There was no robbery”.
“I’m not saying his travel is going to be hindered right now or anything, ” she said. Whether you call it a robbery, whether you call it extortion.
When Lauer pressed Lochte, insisting that his initial reporting of the alleged robbery was more about the “mean streets of Rio” than “some dumb behavior”, Lochte admitted: “That’s why I’m taking full responsibility for it”.
SEE MORE: What The Hell Really Happened To Ryan Lochte And His Teammates In Rio?
According to the statement that his teammate Bentz gave authorities, a man who spoke English walked over and told the swimmers the guards were telling them to pay for the damage they caused, or else they would call the police. “All we know is that there was a gun pointed in our direction, and we were demanded to give money”.
“The last five days have been hard for our USA Swimming and United States Olympic families”. Authorities pulled US swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz off their plane, confiscated their passports and detained them for questioning. Lochte also gave an interview to Globo, one of the biggest television networks in Brazil.
Lochte, whose attorney has previously said that his client stands by his characterization of what happened, was already back in the United States by the time this was announced.
The Lochte situation came to light shortly after the end of the swimming competition during the 2016 Olympic Games. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article. No one. And who did it hurt not to tell the truth? “I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so – I’m not getting down on the ground”, Lochte told NBC.
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In the statement, Wielgus indicated that further disciplinary action could take place after the Lochte scandal is reviewed in conjunction with the organization’s code of conduct.
