USA swimmer Ryan Lochte landed a new endorsement deal on Thursday days after losing all his major sponsors even as the fallout from the Rio Olympics continued as Brazilian police recommended he be charged with falsely reporting a crime.
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The indictment will also be sent to the International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission.
Lochte and three other US swimmers, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and James Feigen, said they were robbed at gunpoint after the cab they were in was pulled over.
In the days following the incident, doubt was cast on Lochte’s account of the details due to reports from witnesses and the release of security footage which showed the swimmers involved in an altercation at a Rio gas station on the morning in question.
The saga of the swimmer and the robbery-that-wasn’t continues: Ryan Lochte has been charged with filing a false police report.
After his initial description of the events that night, Lochte backtracked and said he “overexaggerated” the story.
If convicted, Lochte, 32, could face between one to six months in jail, although the judge could choose to levy a fine instead.
The New York Times, however, had a conversation with an anonymous prosecution spokesman, who said prosecutors get to decide whether to file charges.
Lochte, who swam in two events at the Rio games and won gold as part of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, left Rio for the U.S.in the midst of the scandal and officials there said that they had no way to force him to return, and that the legal process would continue without him if he declines to do so. They were later allowed to leave Brazil, as was Feigen, after he also gave testimony. Still, some allege, many foreign critics of Brazil’s handling of the Games were simply sniping at authorities confronted with a colossal array of pre-existing problems. Softish Throat Drops. Pine Bros. said people should be more understanding of the swimmer and said he will appear in ads that say the company’s product is “Forgiving On Your Throat”.
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Lochte lost sponsorships worth $1 million with Speedo, Ralph Lauren, Syneron-Candela and Airweave in the wake of fallout over his exaggerated claims of having been robbed at gunpoint with teammates while in Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
