Seems as the Rio, Brazil police aren’t playing when it comes to Ryan Lochte’s lies. Police say Lochte will be summoned to Brazil for the August 14 incident but is allowed to send a lawyer on his behalf.
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Brazilian police said Lochte, Jimmy Feigen, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz vandalized a bathroom after a night of partying.
Mr Lochte said he had been robbed at gunpoint after being stopped in a taxi by men in police uniform. Lochte, who returned to America shortly after the incident, could be tried in absentia should he choose not to return to Brazil.
Lochte had no comment on the charges or the new sponsorship, his spokeswoman Melissa Nathan said.
He “has badly tarnished one of the great Olympic careers of all time”, Greg notes.
Mr Lochte flew out of Brazil before he could speak to authorities over the alleged robbery.
Police official Clemente Braune said: “Once he is summoned, whether he turns up or not, the penalty is the same: one to six months’ prison”, reports the G1 Rio news site. He has not travelled outside Brazil for more than a year to avoid being arrested by U.S. authorities somewhere else. Lochte told Olympics broadcaster NBC on the day of the altercation that he and three other swimmers were robbed at gunpoint after the cab they were in was pulled over.
The department’s chief has requested a letter be sent to Lochte communicating the legal process related to the charges, according to the statement. If the latter is followed, Lochte will lose the chance to negotiate a fine before he is given a sentence. He has 12 Olympic medals, second only to Michael Phelps among United States male Olympians. For the new swimmer’s sponsors, Lochte simply made a mistake and we must move on, and in fact, the new campaign will be centered on forgiveness, despite the paternalism criticism expressed by some people.
But today, Pine Brothers cough drops signed him up, saying “Just as Pine Bros.is forgiving to your throat, the company asks the public for a little forgiveness for an American swimming legend”.
Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand.
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Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.
