Ralph Lauren, which outfitted Team USA for the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies in Rio, said it too was finished with Lochte, noting that their agreement was specific to the Rio Games and his contract would not be renewed.
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Since his biggest sponsor Speedo took the first plunge to drop Lochte on Monday morning, other sponsors including Ralph Lauren, Gentle Hair Removal and Airweave have all promised to cut ties with Lochte after the swimmer admitted that he lied about being robbed at gunpoint.
“While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we can not condone behaviour that is counter to the values that this brand has long stood for. We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from his experience”.
Speedo said it will donate a portion of Lochte’s $50,000 fee to the global charity Save The Children.
That’s definitely not something that the USOC wants, and there’s a good chance he will pay.
The Olympic athlete still has endorsement deals with Ralph Lauren, Airweave and Gentle Hair Removal, according to ESPN.
A Syneron-Candela statement said: ” Syneron-Candela will be ending its partnership with Ryan Lochte. Video surveillance emerged showing the athletes getting into a confrontation with armed security guards over alleged vandalism at the gas station when their taxi pulled over to let them use the restroom.
Lochte, in turn, expressed in a statement his gratitude to Speedo and said he respected the company’s decision. “If I had never done that, we wouldn’t be in this mess”.
Lochte’s portfolio has diminished in recent years. In his first televised mea culpa on NBC, he admitted he was “still intoxicated” when he made the initial robbery claim during an appearance on the network August 14.
“It’s definitely something that I’m going to have to be more responsible about”, Lochte told TMZ when asked about his drinking. “I over-exaggerated what was happening to me”.
The U.S. Olympic Committee and U.S.A Swimming have affirmed the 32-year old swimmer will face disciplinary actions. Lochte left Brazil before authorities there could question him beyond his original assertions.
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Last week Bentz and Conger were removed from a plane as they attempted to fly home, while Feigen made a charitable donation of more than pounds 8,000 to have charges of criminal damage and falsely reporting a crime dropped and get his passport back. Last week, Airweave said Mr. Lochte would remain a brand ambassador, with founder and CEO Motokuni Takaoka saying, “I respect the athletic performance of Ryan, and as long as he is a respectable athlete, he will remain the USA ambassador for Airweave as long as our partnership agreement remains effective”.
