“I over-exaggerated that story and if I had never done that, we wouldn’t be in this mess”, he said.
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Lochte, 32, was dropped by four of his major sponsors after he admitted he “overexaggerated” his story about being robbed and held at gunpoint in Rio.
The 12-time Olympic medalist will not be allowed to compete in the 2017 National Championships, rendering him ineligible for the 2017 FINA World Championships in Hungary, said the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and USA Swimming in a statement Thursday. Lochte will also miss out on Team USA’s visit to the White House and he’ll have to perform 20 hours of community service.
The report also noted that the other three United States of America swimmers involved in the early-morning incident – Jimmy Feigen, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz – will receive lighter suspensions.
“Each of the athletes has accepted responsibility for his actions and accepted the appropriate sanctions”, Blackmun continued.
They will also be stripped of funding and access to training.
Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and James Feigen each received a four-month suspension for their part in the scandal. During a news conference, Fernando Veloso, chief of Rio’s civil police, said the men were drunk and smashed up a gas station bathroom before being confronted by security guards. All will forfeit monthly stipends and access to USOC training centers during their bans.
Bentz was suspended for his role in a incident in Rio de Janeiro following the swimming portion of the Olympic Games, where he became the first Georgia male swimmer in history to win a gold medal.
The incident erupted into an global story when Lochte and his teammates told the U.S. Olympic Committee and Brazilian police that a taxi they were riding in Sunday morning was pulled over by armed robbers posing as police.
Last month, Brazilian police charged Lochte with filing a false robbery report, but he is unlikely to return to Brazil to defend himself.
Lochte, who is now seeking to rehabilitate his public image with an appearance on upcoming reality show “Dancing With the Stars” has apologized for his behavior.
“I reached out to my family and friends and they kept me positive and said, ‘you know, you have to do this, you have to get out there, ‘” Lochte said, adding that he is embracing the opportunity.
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Top sponsors, including Speedo and Ralph Lauren, abandoned the Olympic gold medal victor in the uproar over the made-up story, potentially costing him millions in endorsements. “… Unfortunately, this storyline took attention away from the athletes who deserved it the most”.
