Ryan Lochte’s three teammates are finally getting closer to the finish line of their Rio police drama.
Advertisement
On Thursday, Brazilian officials recommended that Lochte and Feigen face charges of false reporting of a crime, a civil police spokesperson said.
But police said the swimmers were intoxicated, giving accounts full of murky details and in conflict with one another.
What a shame they have such character faults. Bentz said he did not know why Lochte made a decision to pull down the advertisement.
“I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry to my teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors, and the hosts of this great event”, he wrote.
USA tabloid press dubbed him “The Ugly American” and “The Lochte Mess Monster”, turning on the once beloved champion and saying his behaviour played into the worst stereotypes of Americans overseas.
He also reiterated that guns were drawn on the Americans, and that the surveillance footage making the rounds appears to have edited out some events. You’re the ones who offered money so the gas station employees wouldn’t call the police. The four swimmers have all their belongings and are cracking jokes as they pass through the security check. The two swimmers have returned to the United States; Lochte said in his statement he held off commenting until he was sure they were home safely.
USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus issued his own statement tonight, in which he said, “The last five days have been hard for our USA Swimming and United States Olympic families”. “I’m glad he’s back, absolutely”. At some point, they make their way back to the bathroom, where police say they vandalized one of the stalls. It’s unclear where Feigen is, but the USA committee said he is cooperating with Brazilian authorities.
Lochte and police do all agree on one thing: A gun was brandished, and money exchanged hands.
Lochte waited to release his statement until after legal issues with the other swimmers were resolved.
“I am confident that some video angles have not been shown that would further substantiate my account”.
The International Olympic Committee is to start a disciplinary inquiry into Ryan Lochte and three other United States swimmers who made up a story that they had been mugged in Rio, an IOC official told AFP on Friday.
Twitter users were divided, with some throwing their support behind the champion swimmer and others branding him a liar.
The situation “could and should have been avoided”, he said, adding that he had “learned some valuable lessons”.
He is expected to come home on Friday. According to a statement from the USOC, Feigen “provided a revised statement” to police Thursday night “with the hope of securing the release of his passport as soon as possible”.
Advertisement
The lawyer for swimmer Jimmy Feigen says he will pay about $11,000 under an agreement reached with a Brazilian judge.
