Srour also said the matter could haunt Lochte even though the 12-time Olympic medalists left the country before law enforcement officers had a chance to demand money – such as the $11,000 paid by American swimmer Jimmy Feigen to secure his passport and leave the country after the incident.
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Lochte on Friday apologised for “not being more careful and candid” in describing the alleged robbery. But Bentz said, to his knowledge, no damage was done to the restroom. “But regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, 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”.
“This was a situation that could and should have been avoided”. Asked why he was untruthful, Lochte at first said he didn’t know, then went on to say he was intoxicated.
In his statement, Bentz included a detailed recollection of the events that transpired after he and his teammates headed back to the Olympic Village in the early hours of Sunday – the morning after swimming events concluded at the Olympics.
As hard as he plays, Lochte works hard, too.
But two of the swimmers, Conger and Bentz, admitted to fabricating the story after they were detained at the airport late Wednesday while attempting to head back to the United States.
And it overshadowed the efforts of US Olympians, who have dominated the medal count. USA Swimming is expected to convene its executive board to discuss likely punishment, the Associated Press reported.
Technically, the four could be fined, suspended or expelled.
“The behavior of these athletes is not acceptable, nor does it represent the values of Team USA or the conduct of the vast majority of its members”, the statement said. But we’re just getting started.
Bentz’s account of the incident varies somewhat from the official narrative provided by police, which stated the restroom at the store was vandalized. Feigen won gold as part of the 4×100 freestyle relay.
“When they turned in my direction, I was anxious that they were going to assault me because they were very worked up”, the guard remembered.
Bentz, who is 20 years old, released his statement via the University of Georgia, where he is now a student. “Regarding the swimmers, I admit that my only feeling towards them is of pity, contempt, it’s a shame that their character failed, and now it’s their problem and of the American committee decide what to do”, said Eduardo Paes, Rio de Janeiro mayor.
“Through the interpreter, one of the guards said that we needed to pay them in order to leave”, Bentz recalls.
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“No guns were drawn during this exchange, but we did see a gun tucked into one of the guard’s waistband”, Bentz said. At that point, Lochte got in the guards’ faces. Bentz says he was the one who urged everyone to do as they were told, which included paying about $70 to the men in exchange for being allowed to leave. “However, I am confident that some video angles have not been shown that would further substantiate my account”.
