In a later interview with NBC News’ Matt Lauer, Ryan Lochte admitted that he had drank too much that evening and that the guards had demanded payment for the damages.
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Lochte has come under fire after falsely claiming he and fellow swimmers Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by men with a police badge as they returned to the Olympic Village from a party August 15.
Yesterday, Brazilian officials charged him with filing a false police report.
The indictment also will be sent to the International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission, the statement said.
It was soon revealed, however, that the group – with Lochte as the mastermind – had come up with the story to hide the fact that they had vandalized a local gas station. She notes that the USA has an extradition treaty with Brazil but that it’s unlikely Lochte would be sent there if convicted.
Teammate Jimmy Feigen agreed last week to pay 35,000 real ($10,833) to a charity in Rio in compensation for having the same charges dropped and the return of his passport, which had been seized by police, authorities said.
In a tweet on Thursday, Lochte said: “Thanks to all the folks at Pine Bros for your confidence in me. And it was my immature behavior”.
Days later, as scrutiny on Lochte’s story increased, police questioned Feigen again.
Ryan’s reality television show, “What Would Ryan Lochte Do?”, debuted on E! in April 2013.
Lochte’s viability as a brand hasn’t completely diminished, though.
Pine Bros, Chief Executive, Rider McDowell in statement has asked the public to forgive the legendary American swimmer, who has 12 Olympic medals to his name, bested only by Michael Phelps.
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The swimmer will appear in a series of print advertisements and a commercial stating “Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops: Forgiving On Your Throat”, the company said.
