Both US swimmer Ryan Lochte, and the US Olympic Committee (USOC), have since issued separate apologies in relation to the incident, confirming the police accusations.
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In a tweet, the Olympic gold medalist did not go into details about what happened early Sunday morning at a Rio gas station. I wanted to share these thoughts until it was confirmed that the legal situation was addressed and it was clear that my teammates would be arriving home safely. Thank you for allowing my friends to come home instead of placing them in a foreign jail.
Ryan Lochte has finally broken his silence, apologizing for his “behavior” in Rio following police claims that he and fellow USA swimmers James Feigen, Jack Conger, and Gunnar Bentz fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint.
Jack Conger, one of the four American swimmers in hot water after what Brazilian authorities say was a fabricated tale of robbery in Rio, has issued an apology.
Brazilian officials have suggested bringing charges against Lochte and other swimmers, though whether this Twitter apology will help lessen the chances of that remains to be seen.
“And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down, ‘ and I put my hands up”, Lochte told Matt Lauer of NBC the following day.
“It’s how you want to make it look like, whether you call it a robbery, whether you call it extortion, or us paying for the damages – we don’t know”, he said. “In everything I do, I am representing my family, my country and my school”.
Earlier Friday, the attorney for Jimmy Feigen – one of the three USA swimming teammates who were with Lochte on the night in question – announced that his client will pay about $10,800 to an unnamed Brazilian charity and then leave the country.
“T$3 his was a situation that could and should have been avoided”, Lochte said.
After that, Bentz took $20 from his wallet and two 50 Reals notes and the money was passed on to the gas station manager, the statement said.
The statement posted on Facebook said that the decision was made in a court appearance to answer police accusations that Feigen and fellow swimmer Ryan Lochte had made false claims that they were robbed.
The lawyer for the fourth U.S. swimmer, James Feigen, said the athlete would make a $10,800 “donation” and leave Brazil later in the day.
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Later surveillance footage and an investigation by Brazilian authorities showed that they had vandalised a gas station bathroom and had handed over money to armed security guards who had prevented them from leaving.
