The US Olympic Committee last night apologized for the behavior of Lochte and his colleagues after the video showed some of their behavior at the station, and confirmed the four swimmers had stopped at the station to use the bathroom, where one of them committed an act of vandalism.
Advertisement
A lawyer for Feigen said early Friday that the athlete planned to donate 35,000 Brazilian reals ($10,800) to an “institution” and leave the country later in the day.
Multiple news reports early Friday quoted his lawyer, Breno Melaragno, as saying Feigen had reached a deal to pay a fine of almost $11,000 that would be directed to a charity in Brazil.
Lochte originally claimed that he and his fellow swimming teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen, were held at gunpoint after a party they attended last Sunday in Rio. On Thursday, Brazilian officials stated that the incident never occurred and alleged that the men actually vandalized the property instead.
Two U.S. swimmers accused of fabricating a story about being robbed at gunpoint during the Rio Games landed in Miami from Brazil early on Friday, a Reuters witness said. He said Friday he wanted to speak until the legal situation was addressed and his teammates were allowed to come home.
Lochte left the country earlier in the week, but his teammate were ordered to remain in the country to answer police questions. Under Brazilian law, a donation can be made to avoid criminal prosecution for minor offenses, he said. That claim started unraveling when police said investigators couldn’t substantiate it. Veloso said the guards would have been justified in drawing their weapons because the athletes “were conducting themselves in a violent way”.
A station employee called police, and the guards and employees tried to get the swimmers and the taxi driver to stay until authorities arrived, some even offering to help interpret between English and Portuguese, Veloso said. The swimmers raise their hands before the exchange in a manner consistent with someone pulling a gun on them.
“I was like ‘whatever,”‘ Lochte said in his initial account.
In revised testimony that news site G1 had access to, Bentz and Conger said they were not robbed.
Michael Phelps finally broke his silence on the Ryan Lochte scandal.
Lochte and two other swimmers are back in the States now. USA Swimming said it could also take possible action. Lochte, a 12-time medalist, won a gold in Rio in a relay race alongside Phelps.
Advertisement
I am grateful for my USA Swimming teammates and the USOC, and appreciate all of the efforts of the IOC, the Rio ’16 Host Committee, and the people of Brazil who welcomed us to Rio and worked so hard to make sure that these Olympic Games provided a lifetime of great new memories.
