Lochte initially said that he and three of his teammates – James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger – were victims of a robbery, held at gunpoint by armed men posing as police after a night of celebrating.
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Lochte’s interview with Matt Lauer is set to air during NBC’s prime time Olympic coverage on Saturday, with more airing on Monday, Aug. 22 on the Today show. Lochte initially said he and three fellow USA swimmers – Gunnar Bentz, James Feigen and Jack Conger – had, after a night of partying, been held up at gunpoint and had their possessions taken. Perhaps the most realistic part of the story was that Lochte said “whatever” when being told to get on the ground during a robbery.
Lauer conducted another interview with Lochte who finally took full responsibility, admitted he over-exaggerated and acted immaturely.
“They have forever put themselves on the kind of list that you don’t want to be remembered for”, DeFrantz told The Associated Press.
In the interview with Lauer, Lochte, who returned home to Charlotte, North Carolina, appeared to concede that he knew that the guards were demanding payment for the damage done, not robbing them.
The American swimmer had claimed that, along with three of his team-mates, he had been robbed at gunpoint on the way back to the Olympic Village from a night out at Casa Franca in Rio de Janeiro. “It was hours after the incident happened [when he spoke to NBC’s Billy Bush], I was still intoxicated”.
“I was immature, and I made a stupid mistake”, Lochte apologized.
“It hurt. I let my team down”, he said, choking back tears.
‘I think we ended up in the right place in terms of being able to shine a light on what really happened there’.
Lochte had similar words of contrition when interviewed by Brazil’s Globo TV. After reviewing security footage, Rio police said the swimmers had not been held up but rather had vandalized a gas station bathroom and offered money to pay for the damages. And I don’t want that. “I left certain things out, and I over-exaggerated certain parts of the story”. “I’m embarrassed for myself, my family, those guys, US swimming, the Olympic games, everyone watching”.
Lochte kept repeating how “immature” his behavior had been and how sorry he was, and that he was trying to learn from his actions.
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Lochte also apologized to the people of Rio de Janeiro, saying they “put on a great games”. Still, according to Lauer’s recounting of the conversation, Lochte stood by the account of an armed robbery. “I’m not making me being intoxicated like an excuse, I’m not doing that at all”, Lochte added.
