Ryan Lochte has opened up about his “heartbreaking” suspension following the “fake robbery” scandal which overshadowed the Rio Olympics. Lochte and Bentz have to complete several hours of community service, and all swimmers lost the right to go to some events, including domestic and global competitions. His next global meeting would be the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, and his next world championship would come in 2019 in South Korea.
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But the suspension for the athletes is not all. He could lose as much as $100,000 since USA Swimming has awarded a $75,000 gold-medal bonus at past Olympics. Regarding community service, Lochte has to complete 20 hours of community service and Bentz has to do 10 hours. The U.S. Olympic delegation has an invitation to meet President Obama, but the four swimmers are excluded due to their behavior in Rio de Janeiro.
On top of the ban on competitive action, Lochte will be denied both monthly funding by either organization and access to a number of training centers. Brazilian authorities brought no charges against Bentz or Conger. “Each of the athletes has accepted responsibility for his actions and accepted the appropriate sanctions”, U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun said in the statement.
“It’s how you want to make it look like”, Lochte responded.
“We accept the decision and believe it is in everyone’s best interest to move forward”, Lochte’s attorney Jeff Ostrow told USA Today.
Ryan Lochte will not swim competitively for ten months, meaning he’ll miss next year’s World Championships.
According to Ostrow Lochte did not commit a crime, he did not put the public safety at risk, and he did not cheat in his sport.
Ryan said he turned to those closest to him about whether or not to do the competition.
A joint announcement on the suspensions by the US Olympic Committee and USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport, is expected Thursday, this person said. He admits that he thought about dropping out, but reconsidered after talking to family and friends. The 12-time Olympic medalist later backtracked when a police investigation found security guards stopped the swimmers at the gas station after they committed an act of vandalism and paid about $50 in damages.
In light of Lochte’s flub, he was let go by four major sponsors, including Speedo, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gentle Hair Removal, and mattress maker Airweave.
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Lochte appeared on the talk show with professional dancer Cheryl Burke, who will be his partner on the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars”. Lochte started out the 2016 Summer Olympics by winning a gold medal in the Men’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay, but quickly took a turn for a worse during one night in Rio.
