Feigen’s departure was approved, and his passport returned, after he paid almost $11,000 to charity, the Associated Press reported.
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Lochte, who flew to the United States the day after Sunday’s incident, said he should have been more careful and candid in his account, but said it had been traumatic to have a stranger point a gun at him in a foreign country and demand money.
The scandal has angered Brazilians who jeered Bentz and Conger, calling them “liars” and “fakes” as they made their way out of the country on Thursday.
Security footage shows the athletes coming down a walkway at a gas station, as one appears to tear off a poster.
A Brazilian judge provided another twist to the saga of four US swimmers embroiled in a scandal at the Rio Games, suspending permission for one of the athletes, Jimmy Feigen, to leave the country – even though he had flown home hours earlier. The fourth swimmer, Jimmy Feigen, made a deal with a Brazilian judge to make a $10,800 payment and be allowed to leave the country later Friday, his lawyer said.
Gunnar Bentz released a statement late Friday night, giving his version of the story.
“There was no robbery”, Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Chief Fernando Veloso said Thursday, announcing the results of a high-profile investigation into Lochte’s report that he and three other USA swimmers – James Feigen, 26; Gunnar Bentz, 20; and Jack Conger, 21 – had been held up at gunpoint during their time at the Summer Olympics.
However, Rio’s civil police chief Fernando Veloso stated that no robbery was committed and the quartet “were not victims of the crimes they claimed”.
“I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend – for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics”, he said in an Instagram post.
After Lochte’s statement was published, Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada said Friday, “We obviously accept his apology and appreciate it”.
Lochte also acknowledged that “this was a situation that could and should have been avoided”. After paying, Feigen’s passport was returned. Bentz and Conger talked with authorities on Thursday and were whisked through airport security and got on a plane that night.
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“There has already been too much said and too many valuable resources dedicated to what happened last weekend, so I hope we spend our time celebrating the great stories and performance of these Games and look ahead to celebrating future successes”, he wrote. Another person stepped in to intervene between the athletes and the guards, and the athletes left money, police said.
