Ryan Lochte: robbery victim or lying douchebag? Or both? As the news kept pouring in throughout Thursday, I honestly thought that it felt like Ryan Lochte and the other swimmers were victims of one of the most egregious international smear campaigns that I’ve ever seen in my life. As more information has come out, I tend to believe that some drunk Americans behaved badly, got rolled for it and didn’t understand what was happening. So many headlines about this case have been published over the past 24 hours, and it seems like many people are basing their opinions on incomplete and misleading information from anonymous police sources.
Throughout Thursday, “unnamed sources” close to the Brazilian police’s investigation into Lochte’s alleged mugging were leaking damaging information without evidence to back it up. Most every legitimate media outlet ran with the headline provided to them by the unnamed sources: Lochte & Swimmers Brawled With Security, Brazilian Police Have Evidence That Lochte Lied, Video Shows Lochte Is Lying, US Swimmers Being Investigated For Vandalism & Lying to Authorities, Brazilian Police Say Swimmers Admitted to Fabricating the Robbery Story. From what we know now, many of those stories are not backed up with sufficient evidence to prove they happened.
Then the Brazilian police came out and admitted that Lochte and three swimmers were held at gunpoint by security and demanded to pay money, but that it was because swimmers urinated on a wall, kicked a door and tore a poster. The police claimed to have proof, but the proof is a video of the four swimmers casually exiting a passage way beside a gas station. The only thing that you can see on the video is that a poster was pulled down. The police confirmed that at least one security guard was armed and did want money from the swimmers “to pay for the damages.” The proof offered for this was a video of the four swimmers sauntering around, trying to find their taxi, looking sort of drunk and unbothered. Then the video changes to another angle and you can see the guys with their hands up, looking like they’re being held at gunpoint.
Lochte did lie when he originally spoke to Billy Bush, which was not an official witness statement to the police. Lochte later clarified his story when speaking to Matt Lauer Wednesday night, saying that the taxi wasn’t pulled over, that they were already stopped at the gas station, and there were still men forcing them out of the taxi at gunpoint. So, Lochte should apologize for lying to the press initially, but the basics of his story are unchanged: he and the other swimmers were robbed at gunpoint. TMZ now has a photo of the cracked sign which Lochte and the swimmers allegedly damaged. This is not evidence of the original police-source story that they destroyed a bathroom.
After the Brazilian police did their big press conference, Team Lochte went to both TMZ and People Magazine last night. TMZ says that Lochte maintains that he was held at gunpoint and robbed, and that the surveillance video being distributed by the police is missing about three minutes where he and the other swimmers were removed from the taxi at gunpoint. A source tells People: “The video backs up what they’re saying. There are three minutes in the middle of the video that are missing, that no one has picked up on. The video does not show them running out of the bathroom – if they had trashed it don’t you think they’d be running? There is no footage that has been released that has them smashing up a bathroom.” Sources admit that Lochte and the swimmers likely mistook a security guard’s uniform for a policeman’s uniform, but even in Lochte’s original telling of the story, he only said that the muggers were dressed up like cops. Lochte’s lawyer also told People that the Brazilian police’s story even confirms that “a gun was pointed at the swimmers and they were forced to get out of their cab and give up their money. No matter what happened at that gas station, the swimmers were robbed by people with a gun appearing to be law enforcement. No matter what country you are in that is robbery and robbery is a serious crime.”
Jimmy Feigen also spoke out yesterday. Feigen, along with Lochte, was the recipient of a judge’s order for their passports to be confiscated during the investigation. Lochte had already left Brazil, but Feigen was still stuck in Rio, because as USOC authorities confirmed to People, Brazilian authorities still have his passport. Now E! reports that Feigen is paying Brazilian authorities $11,000 for the return of his passport, which isn’t shady at all. Feigen spoke to his hometown San Antonio newspaper yesterday, reaffirming his original story: “We were robbed at gunpoint. It sounds like people assume we’re guilty.” Late last night, the other two swimmers, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, were finally allowed to leave Brazil. Bentz and Conger were the two swimmers yanked off a plane by Brazilian authorities on Wednesday evening. As Bentz and Conger were released, the USOC released an apology for the swimmers’ behavior, which seemed like the tit-for-tat for getting those two swimmers out of Brazil.
To make matters worse, “sources” in Brazil are now confirming that Lochte and Feigen are being “recommended for indictment in Rio on charges of false reporting of a crime.” There were so many other alleged Olympic muggings but yet this is the one we’re hearing about because the details are unclear and it involves athletes allegedly behaving badly. Apparently, a member of Team GB was robbed at gunpoint this week. Aussie rowing coaches claimed they were robbed at knifepoint last week. That wasn’t the only story from Team Australia: an Aussie swimmer claimed he was forced at gunpoint to take money out of the ATM and then robbed. An Olympic security chief was attacked by a knife-wielding robber the same night at the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Don’t forget about the Russian Olympic athlete who was robbed in broad daylight by gun-wielding children. Also, Portugal’s Education Minister was robbed at knifepoint on Day 1 of the Rio Olympics.
Update: Lochte issued a carefully-worded apology – you can read our post here.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Lochte’s social media.
Honestly I think they lied. They were somewhere they weren’t supposed to be and they vandalized a gas station and forced to pay up. I think they took advantage of the bad press in Rio and their white privilege let them get away with it. It’s ridiculous and a bad show for Team USA and USA swimming.
Now that doesn’t mean Rio isn’t corrupt or other people were robbed. But I’m saying these four were not. Video seems to dispute what they’ve said.
Yep. Drunk vandals who were administered a bit of street justice. They are actually lucky it ended the way it did.
@Cinderella, it’s not even street justice really. I have spent a lot of time in big developing countries. It’s just how things work. If you do some property damage, you pay cash on the spot. If you get in a car wreck, for example, you settle it on the spot in cash. Developing countries are just less likely to have systems that people rely on (eg insurance) and especially if it’s a foreigner, you settle in cash. As soon as I read this version of events, I completely believed it because it’s so typical.
If any vandalism actually occurred, it’s possible it was unintentional as they were falling down drunk.
Greenieweenie – exactly. And even in some European countries, minor crimes such as vandalism are dealt with by on-the-spot fines or even arbitration by police at the scene followed by compensation. All of this information will have been given to Olympic athletes from all nations on advice from their diplomatic and foreign offices.
@Megan, even if if was unintentional because they were wasted, vandalism is still wrong. Being drunk is not an excuse for wrongdoing.
@Arpeggi I never said it wasn’t wrong, but when it comes to charging someone with a crime, there is a big difference between intentional and unintentional damage.
@Greenieweenie – I have never heard of paying cash in a car crash. If you get in a car crash you exchange insurance details and phone numbers. Please do not generalise re: we do not have systems to rely on such as insurance.
However if you break something you usually pay for it (just last week my butter fingers broke a glass flower vase and the store refused to let me pay, which was odd)
@Cee, I’m just making the point that it is not uncommon to pay on the spot for damages in other countries. I am not saying in Brazil, this is how people settle car wrecks. But I have been to many (developing) countries where if you get in a wreck, the police come and they will expect you to settle on the spot. Their role is to negotiate a price. This is unlike the US, where these things and property damage in general are all covered by insurance.
I have not been to Brazil so I can’t speak to how things work there. But my point is that same: things likely work differently, and it wouldn’t be unusual for this to be settled on the spot, and that could be where things got lost in translation. If you don’t travel much and you’re not aware of that, I could see how you might interpret it as a shakedown when it’s often status quo. The swimmers saw a gun and assumed it was a robbery; equally, you could see how the gas station staff might’ve seen it as just collecting for damages.
I agree. The truth is somewhere in the middle. I think what pisses me off the most is that Lochte and his stupidity took attention away from the American Olympians that are there to compete AND he left his two young teammates (Conger & Bentz) to deal with the sh*t storm.
I feel the same. At the end of the day Lochte is a 30-something frat boy that left actual young men behind to deal with the shit storm. That says a lot about him.
So if a woman was raped in Rio, was it because she was somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be?
They were held at gunpoint and forced to give money to someone that they had no obligation to pay. Even if they did damage the bathroom, the owners should have reported to the police.
He was forcibly removed from a cab, held at gubpoint and money was taken from him.
That was his story all along. Does anyone thing Lochte is smart enough/sober enough to tell the difference between a police officer and a security guard
His original story was they were riding in a cab not parked at a gas station.So why lie to begin with?Why omit the part about the bathroom?
With Matt Lauer, I thought he admitted the part about being at the gas station.
Just because he lied about being pulled over in a cab doesn’t take away from the fact they were held at gunpoint and ordered to hand over cash for alleged damages to bathroom (and it’s alleged because where is the video that shows they were trashing a bathroom).
Am I missing something here? Was the only thing they did wrong was urinate in the alley along side the bathroom?
No dude, not even the same. The OP is explaining why the story changed – because the athletes were in an area off limits according to the rules of their presence in the country as Olympians. Not justifying the “robbery” or any other crimes, real or imagined or exaggerated, that occurred.
There are places in NY I would never visit at night.
Tourists from the “civilized countries” think they can commit abroad those acts they are not allowed to commit at home and walk away with no consequence. Peeing on someone else’s property is offensive.. I’ve seen people taking baths in the monumental fountains, falling asleep on the sidewalks, completely drunk, looking for sex (even with teens or children) or drugs in the most dangerous places. Do you think that tourists can behave like this in NY without being arrested or robbed or raped or even killed?
Nothing excuses the crime of threatening an unarmed civilian at gunpoint then demanding money. The rules in Brazil are shoddy and any tourist should proceed with caution. But like I told my son, this could have happened in a poor area of America so getting too drunk to function outside of your own home is just a magnet for trouble.
In my unprofessional opinion the video looks like they were asked to leave from the bathrooms because they were drunk idiots and then they were being shaken down for money. How many times have you just sat down on the ground with a bunch of men in front of you with your hands up in the air unless you were being robbed or arrested. Even if they were security they don’t have the right to detain someone to get money, you detain until the police arrive. So if they let them leave once money was given then that sounds like a robbery in my opinion. Nevertheless all of this could have been avoided if they weren’t acting like overly privileged drunken jerks.
I agree, that video sure does look like they were told to get in the ground with their hands up and then Lochte starts standing up and the two guys next to him are trying to pull him back down. Obviously they were afraid something would happen to him. I can definitely see how they would get confused with a security guard in a uniform wielding a gun with police. When you’re wasted how much detail do you remember from situations? This whole thing is a mess.
Rio is famous for its incredible nightlife. Like many tourists in Rio, Lotche and his friends were out partying and drank too much. How does that make them overly privileged as compared to the average tourist?
This is my unprofessional opinion-
These guys were WASTED, stopped at the gas station. They may or may not have done some damage (I don’t think I’ve seen any actual footage of damage, and anyway, after this many days can we say for sure it was caused by the swimmers?) The gas station attendants/security saw a chance to shake down some drunk Americans. Again, it may have been for legit damages, this may be the way things are done in developing nations. But it is NOT how it is done in the US and these guys were too drunk to understand the difference in culture. They don’t speak Portuguese and some random dude was translating for them. Who knows what he said? He might not have explained that security was asking for money for damages, he might have just said to hand over their cash. At this point, the video really only matches with the swimmers’ stories- they were pulled out of a cab by a guy with a gun, forced to sit on the sidewalk (Lochte originally didn’t cooperate) and then handed over some cash.
In these guys’ minds, they probably DID think they were being robbed. It could be BOTH sides are right. Lochte went home and mentioned it to mom who ran to the press and because Lochte is a bigger name than the dozens of other athletes who have also been robbed, the media plastered it everywhere. Also because Lochte is a bigger name, Brazil was desperate to discredit him.
While I think Lochte and his buddies might have acted dumb, I really do believe they honestly didn’t understand the situation because they were so drunk-and again, without sound there is no evidence that it wasn’t a straight up robbery. For me, the majority of the blame falls on Brazil and the Rio authorities. Remember, they first claimed that there wasn’t an incident at all. Then they claimed they couldn’t find anyone connected with the incident. And I fully blame them for making this into an international incident by trying to take Lochte’s passport and pulling two athletes off a plane over a common robbery. How much better would it have been if they said “We are investigating the incident” and left it at that? They were so desperate to prove the swimmers wrong even though this kind of thing has been happening to athletes for weeks.
Of COURSE the USOC issued an apology, or course they are playing along that Rio was right. Rio was holding US citizens over a simple robbery claim in which they were the victims. I’d probably say anything they asked me to as well if I was facing jail in a developing country over something so dumb.
@Kelly yep, I think your assessment is spot on.
I agree except for the white privilege part. The only reason this story got out was because Lochte told his mother the robbery story, not wanting to tell mommy about the gas station vandalism part. I don’t think Lochte ever imagined his mother was going to then say something to the press. Neither did his teammates who left behind in Rio.
But why would he even tell his mother about the bathroom incident? He’s a grown man, does he tell his mum everything he gets up to? And why escalate this incident to “I got mugged at gun point and said whatever to armed-maybe-police-criminals”?
the only thing I take away from this is that these four are not the brightest people out there and that some people have a tendency to go to the press for no reason.
The moral to this story is do not lie to your mother.
I think we can assume from his mother’s comments about his one-night stands, that Ryan’s relationship with his mother is different than most people his age. I do tend to believe that he is in contact with his mother very often, and goes to her for emotional support. That’s why he gave her a version of what happened.
In several reports that I read, the gas station security guards were trying to get them to wait until police arrived. I think that’s why the gun was pulled. They gave a combination of American and Brazillian money and were able to leave before the police arrived.
THey were still robbed and held at gunpoint. Security guards are not the police they can’t force people to pay for anything. They most likely kept the money for themselves. They pulled a gun on unarmed men. And what about the missing three minutes. Where is the footage of the damage bathroom. Everything is not about White privilege. They lied about the way they were robbed but they were still robbed.
Um maybe in the US but other countries this is not always the case. I’ve seen it before where security often times settles stupid disputes like this quickly and let people go. Otherwise its off to jail
and yes it does reek of white privilege. Just look at all the mental gymnastics about how they are just “kids” that got caught up. If they were the men’s basketball team would they get the same treatment? Absolutely not.
I think it’s only the Rio official who referred to them as “kids.”
The NY Post had the following headline: “Liar, Liar Speedo on Liar”. The article talked about Ryan Lochte embodies the “Ugly American” stereotype and everything that foreigners hate about Americans.
The Washington Post had this headline: “Ryan Lochte: A champion swimmer caught in a riptide of self-absorption” The article talks about he embodies the American frat-bro stereotype.
I guess I don’t think he’s getting a pass from the actual American media, only the one Rio official.
Bottom line they were stilled held at gunpoint and robbed. Did the security guards fork over the money? Where’s the missing three minutes? And security guards don’t have the right to administer their own form of justice. So thank God I live in America. And because the media is calling them kids, which they are not, doesn’t change that they were held at gunpoint and robbed by 1 800 rent a cops. If they destroyed property then you call the authorities, not rob them to fatten your pockets. If a man runs a red light does a security guard have the right to pull a gun on him and say pay me for running that red light and you can be on your way? I can’t believe you think it is ok what those thugs in a security uniform did.
@Nicole- Sure if you buy the police version of the events, it was a dispute…………Lochte’s story remains pretty much unchanged from Sunday, that he was held at gunpoint and ordered to hand over money. Yes, he lied about being pulled over and did not say he was stopped at a gas station nor that he was accused of vandalizing a rest room. That is not a dispute, that is a robbery. I want to see the video of where Lochte and the three other swimmers trashed the restroom. I can believe they urinated in the street, it’s gross and disgusting but men often do that. All the time.
Lochte is not that bright.. He cannot weave a tale to save his life, so naturally he would get caught up on leaving the gas station part out. I can understand why he lied about it and left it out, I don’t condone it but I understand it. I happen to agree with Kaiser, he shouldn’t have lied to Billy Bush about being pulled over but he was still robbed. And it is freaking outrageous that Jimmy Feigen has to pay $11,000 to get his passport. That’s extortion.
I think they lied too…sigh…what a bunch of big doofuses’…I know that’s probably not a real word…but Lochte in particular just looks and acts like a big lug head. This is so disappointing. You have these amazing representatives like Kerri Walsh, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Shalane Flanagan…so many more names that I cannot think of, and then we have this and Hope Solo. Embarrassing.
I believe they lied. The stories and videos I saw yesterday and this morning do not backup the swimmers initial stories. It seems they broke a door, urinated on a wall and then tried to leave. Security called police and held them at gunpoint when they attempted to leave. Once they paid damages they were allowed to leave prior to police arriving. There is video of the swimmers being told to sit down which they do. Two have admitted they lied. There were allegedly two women with them who have either not been identified or not found. Drunken antics made worse because they tried to use privilege. They have embarrassed themselves, the US and IOC and their teammates. There are athletes and visitors who have been robbed at gunpoint and knifepoint. These idiots have put undeserved pressure on an underfunded. underserved police force and Cariocas have every right to be angry. Rio definitely has issues but stupid, drunken Americans should not be one.
By the way, the $11,009 is nothing but a fine for falsely reporting a crime and it will be donated to sports institutions for underprivileged children. I can’t believe people are defending Ryan! Can you imagine if it was the other way around?
They never filed a police report. The police decided to “investigate” themselves because of the media reports. The $11,000 is basically a bribe so the guy can get his passport back to leave the country.
+1
Yeah I think it’s all a big fat web of lies. Swimmers behaved badly, lied about it. Rio police behaved badly, lied about it. No one will ever really know what happened.
Why did the one swimmer have to pay $11k to get to leave Brazil and Lochte is home with no repercussions?
Exactly. Unfortunately, or not I suppose, the rest of the world doesn’t conform to our western standards. Settling minor disputes with cash is par for the course in many countries. Lying about it and creating an international incident when you’re a 32 year old Olympic athlete is embarrassing. I know Lochte is the living embodiment of white male privilege but he’s nothing special in many parts of the world. They were instructed to behave better and he failed to do so.
Good lord, Rio sounds awful. Remind me to never, ever visit Rio.
There are bad things about Rio, but there are also wonderful things. Brazil is a vibrant emerging country and I had a blast there. I just followed the rules and remained safe.
What a mess.
Brazil is a dangerous place.
These men should have known better and they shouldn’t have lied
Even IF Lochte and the others did crack the sign, there is no reason they should have been held at gunpoint until they gave money. The store had surveillance equipment and the men would have been easy to identify–the store could have called the police and reported it after Lochte left.
Eh I think that neither side is right or being entirely truthful but I’m not going to cry over Ryan Lochte or his team members getting fined when they should have been on their best behavior. And Lochte is a man in his 30s he needs to cut the frat boy act . There’s obviously a bit of corruption going on with immediate restitution being demanded at gunpoint by security guards though. As for the crime in Rio After listening to quite a few stories on the problems in Rio on the lead up to the Olympics (especially the evictions and destruction of many homes in order to build the Olympic City) and the awful impact that the Olympic Games usually have on their host cities I think they should just set up the Games in Athens Greece permanently (and pick a Winter location too) and leave it at that.
I agree with the neither side telling the whole story piece but, yes, Olympians are ambassadors for their home country and there is no excuse for Lochte’s behavior.
I agree with just holding the summer games in Athens. Go back to the source and make sure the buildings are used every 4 years.
Yes exactly. When I heard about all the people who have lost their homes and were offered housing several hours away I was really reluctant to even watch at all this year. Statistically speaking host cities end up losing so much economically speaking. I love the idea of everyone having a turn but in practice it just harms poor people.
I agree too! Keep the games in two places and then have different countries bid to host it by proxy. I’m sure plenty of people would hate that idea, but the marginalized citizens of these countries are always on the losing end and I can’t stand to see it anymore.
Agreed. Pick two summer places and two winter and build permanent areans. The old Olympic arenas in some of these countries just sit unused which is terrible
According to Rio police, they committed acts of vandalism… but even if they did that doesn’t give the security guards the right to hold a gun on them and demand money from. It wasn’t a negotiation, it was a robbery.
Its the holy trifecta of male privillege, white privillege and American privillege to go to a South American country, be a douche bro and then try to pin it on “brown criminals and corruption”. I am so happy to see twitter turnng on these aholes. Send them back and they can face trial for filing false charges.
All of this. So much.
Stupid, stupid, stupid frat boys forever.
+1 I want to say I’m shocked at the mental gymnastics people are doing to defend them but I’m not. Entitled white guys behave badly and people bend over backwards to defend them because they’re just “kids”.
+1
This to infinity!!!!!!
I concur.
I think douche bro is Ryan Lochte second name.
+billion
Sending them back for prosecution over this? Even the police in Rio aren’t asking for that.
A judge told the Times that making a false claim in Brazil was “not that serious” and “results in very little punishment.”
I’m not sure it’s white privilege as much as people not being accountable for their own actions. If you do something wrong admit it, instead so many people try to pass the blame. If you want to take credit for your accomplishments then you need to take accountability for your failures.
The white male privilege is found in the number of people making excuses for Lochte et al and infantilizing them as innocent children. Compare this to how Gabby Douglas was treated for not having her hair “perfect”, not smiling enough and not putting her hand on her heart. If any black athlete had done what Lochte and crew did, we would be having a completely different conversation.
Not sure sending them back for prosecution is even what rio officials want.
it really seems like these guys are being given a lot of white male privilege exemptions for bad behaviour. like that spokesman who repeatedly called these grown men “kids”, as though that gives them a pass for destroying or damaging anything.
lochte didn’t just lie about being pulled over, he also lied about having a gun to his head. maybe he was “robbed” for having damaged property, but he embellished the story to make them look even more victimized than they maybe were.
It only sounds like the Rio official is giving them a pass, verbally anyway.
If that one guy has to pay $11 000 to get his passport back and recommendations are being made to file a police report against them, I don’t know how many exemptions these guys are really getting. The only reason Lochte still has his passport (or potentially isn’t in jail if he did indeed lie) seems to be because he got out of there fast (whatever his reasons may be).
I still feel like this story is unfolding, until that other 3 minutes of video gets released.
The American media is calling Lochte a liar, liar pants on fire, so I don’t really get the impression he’s getting a pass in the way I’m used to seeing for most white athletes (i.e like that Stanford swimmer who raped a girl — judges were bending over backwards for him).
I didn’t think Lochte was lying about having a gun to his head though. They’ve got their hands in the air or something in the video (which is not a standard pose for anybody) so it looks like someone was holding something to them. Maybe the taxi driver knows what really happened, but who even knows where he is now.
To be fair they were held at gunpoint. There is definitely white male privledge at play here. Especially when we consider how much heat Gabby Douglas got for not smiling enough.
In the case of Gabby Douglas, I never got the impression American officials were after her for not putting her hand over her heart. Those complaints seemed to come from stupid people on Twitter.
I don’t really see anyone on social media or the regular media giving Lochte a pass whereas, oddly enough, the Brazilian official (the one most likely to be offended by his behaviour) did.
Because of that, I find the reaction to Lochte vs. Douglas hard to compare. None of the American officials were judging Douglas. Douglas’s situation seems more like a daily reminder of racism you see on Twitter, but not necessarily in a procedural capacity (which is what generally does happen too, but didn’t appear to happen in her case since I don’t remember the US Olympic committee reprimanding her).
Brazil is crying about how they look bad… I’m what about all of the other muggings? It sounds like a security guard tried to get money from them and the swimmers thought it was a robbery. Probably because they don’t speak Portugeuese. Shake on the IOC for shaming them. First they denied it happened and then looked like idiots when Lochte said it did. I’m sure this is punishment for that in some way. Because way to throw your athletes under the bus. I feel sorry for the swimmer being forced to pay his way out of this. That is blatant extortion and how someone in our government doesn’t step up and say something is kind of crazy. Brazil can cry and moan about how they look bad all they’d like but you are publicly shaking down this swimmer. In my opinion you’re a third world hovel and should not be taken seriously in the world stage if you honestly believe it’s okay to do this. The fact that they’re doing it so blatantly says they cannot be taken seriously as a country.
“Third world hovel,” really? Wow.
That’s exactly the impression Brazil is giving.
I don’t know enough about this to comment on it.
Too much shadiness on all ends. But this case reminds me of that classic police tactic you see. Throw enough mud at the victims, give misleading statements to the press, and watch the potential victims be demoralized by public opinion. Similar to Mike Brown case. Mike Brown did not rob that store, he was not there on the day he died and the video the police released was from days before and clear to most who viewed it to be a different black boy with the same build as Mike Brown. This caused several people to this day to say Mike Brown’s death was caused by him robbing a store so he was a thug.
wong spot for comment.
If I remember correctly the store owner himself said that the man shown in the video was not Mike Brown. Why were his comments disregarded?
@ I Choose Me
because the store owners comments did not support the narrative that certain news outlets wanted to provide. So to this day I hear people say he got what he deserved for being a thug and robbing a store.
Whatever the truth is, it MUST be pretty awful for the athletes because the official Team USA apology was so full and frank. If their athletes had been unfairly treated or there were any grey areas, they would have been more careful and diplomatic in their wording.
I think we can safely say by now the weight of fault lies with the athletes. I don’t buy language barriers either. If you vandalise a business and immediately afterwards are asked to cough up some money, you don’t need advanced knowledge of a different language to understand why.
Good on the Team USA authorities.
I really don’t understand why Lochte felt the need to embelish this and even tell his mother about it! Is he prone to dramatics?
Rio must have its problems, and asking money to release a passport is disturbing to me, but I’m glad an apology was issued. That’s the least they could do.
He had a reputation for being a jerk before this.
And people who argue that the security guard shouldn’t have taken money and just called the cops really don’t understand the developing world. Another poster mentioned this…but why would you call cops, when all cops do is shake you down? I’ve lived in 4 developing world, and all of them handle matters like this.
Lochte is a full tilt Momma’s boy. His mother is not shy about going to the press either. I’m pretty sure she’s discussed his sex life etc. in televised interviews after/during previous Olympics for example. So anyone familiar with their dynamic shouldn’t be surprised. I wasn’t.
That being said she was probably terrified for her son, misguided as that ended up being.
The embellishment I give a slight pass to – it was to Billy Bush (if you’re unfamiliar, he’s a lightweight entertainment reporter) and probably felt the need to make the story a little better. When he started talking to legit sources and making official statements, it was the more appropriate version.
What’s interesting to me is the way this story has been used to project different outcomes to suit different viewpoints. To some, it’s the prime example of entitled Americans. To others, it’s proof that Rio is dangerous. There’s been very little emphasis on getting to the bottom of the actual events, instead relying on salacious leaks for headlines. The worst case scenario on either side is still a really mild crime – either minor vandalism on the part of the swimmers, or a minor shakedown on the part of the security guards.
I can’t believe his mother speaks about his sex life to the press LOL Maybe the Lochtes are something special.
Also, I live in Buenos Aires and I never had any issues with the police. The one time I got a ticket the police didn’t even try to get money in exchange of “letting this go”.
He handed me the ticket and told me to pay attention and respect transit law.
I feel safe in the city. All big cities have rough neighbourhoods, though.
Buenos Aires and Rio are very different in terms of crime (which I’m guessing you know since you’re the one that lives there!) so that’s a hard comparison to make. BA is indeed a pretty safe city. That isn’t to say there aren’t parts I’d avoid, but that’s the truth of any big city.
And the dynamic between Lochte and his mom is weird, but in an odd way I find it nice that they’re so close.
@Bridget – I’ve never been to Rio so I wouldn’t know how different it is, but I spoke to friends who have been there for work, holidays, the World Cup, and this Olympic, and they usually like it. They don’t feel exposed or fear for their safety. And the language is somewhat of a barrier, too.
Perhaps we are more vigilant and aware than others?
@Cee: I honestly think some of it is luck and some of it is being an experienced traveller. I’ve heard good things about Rio and bad, but the same could be said about other, more traditional vacation spots. Tourists are more likely to be hit by basic street crime, as most areas where tourism is the financial life-blood, there’s an unspoken agreement not to terrorize the tourists too overtly. Even in Rio, if you stick to major tourist points you’re likely to be just fine, with the worst happening to you being potentially relieved of your cash – but keep in mind that can change when you change variables like where you go out and when. Are you likely to be caught in a shoot out on Copacabana Beach? Not so much, but keep your valuables with you at all times. Personally, I’d characterize Rio as “advanced travelling”. Don’t have that be your first trip abroad, know how to keep your wits about you, and have common sense.
The part that’s interesting to me is that it’s turned out that the 4 swimmers’ story has been correct the entire time. The leaks haven’t been correct at all – first that they weren’t robbed at all, then that they were trashing the gas station, there was no gun – and it’s turned into a full blown international incident, despite the fact that it’s turned out that they haven’t been lying. Of course they apologized, they had 3 swimmers detained. But the $11,000 fine to authorities to get the passport back?
These guys aren’t the people I’m going to the mat for. They’ll be fine. This incident will be embarrassing, but it’s not going to ruin their lives.
But they werent robbed.
If someone holds a gun at you and demands money, it’s a robbery. Even if they’re a security guard. It may have been justified, but it doesn’t change that someone at gunpoint demanded their cash. As I said, I’m not going to the mat for these guys, but we also haven’t actually seen any of the proof of wrongdoing on their end, while the video actually corroborates their account.
I think Team USA was just trying to get their athletes that were stuck in Rio out.. that’s it, nothing more, nothing less.
I still want to see evidence of this damage. I’ve seen no broken door, I’ve seen no trashed bathroom. A torn poster? Peeing in the alley when they couldn’t get in the bathroom? That’s worth getting held up at gunpoint and robbed? I’m sure that happens at a lot of gas station bathrooms at 4 in the morning with drunks. Is it great behavior? No. Does it deserve being robbed at gunpoint? Because they’re white? $11,000 for a passport bribe? SMH.
@Sixer No, we cannot safely say the athletes were at fault. The evidence released by the Brazilian authorities seems to corroborate the athletes story about being robbed at gun point. Evidence of vandalism has yet to be produced. It’s possible the security guard made up the vandalism story to justify rolling a bunch of drunk Americans.
Exactly!
I really don’t know who or what to believe. The story keeps changing. All that I’m sure of is that Rio was a bad choice for the Olympics and Lochte is a douche.
Agreed. Lochte is an asshat and Rio should NEVER have been chosen.
@Jen43 Having watched some of Ryan’s reality TV show, I just can’t imagine that idiot making up some huge lie. He’s not that bright. Between them being drunk, the language barrier and their extremely poor, possibly criminal behavior, this is an all around embarrassment for Team USA swimming.
I hope the entire security footage is released because until then the whole thing is a clusterf*ck
of gossip, rumor and leaked “sources.” But whatever happened, it doesn’t negate the fact that other athletes were mugged and Ryan is a jerk.
This is all just bad PR for Brazil. First, it is the hotbed of Zika, so the people returning are just transmitting the disease back to their countries. Second, Brazil doesn’t want to be known as the corrupt, dangerous country it is according to all these robbery reports. Third, Brazil allowed algae to grow in its diving pool for Olympic swimmers to swim in. Finally, Brazilian and US relations have never been the best. The Hague Convention is repeatedly ignored in Brazil– remember Sean Goldman?
The swimmers may have acted in wrongful manner, for which they should be held accountable. However, many parts of this story sound like a “shakedown” by police. They are overly preoccupied with this, and much like the post stated, it’s because this is the one with the sketchiest details.
As a poster commented above, I believe the truth is somewhere in the middle. Weird vibe in Rio, lots of strange stories this time around. But for him, truth or tale, his rep is going to be muddied and that’s a shame…..spending his life waiting for his moment to shine and this shit happens.
I feel like an idiot because I was really defending him yesterday. I still feel like if the most recent story is close to what actually happened, why on earth would you tell your mother a story that would freak her out even more than “I got drunk and did something really stupid”. In hindsight the smart thing to have done would be to say nothing – authorities don’t seem to be this worried over some of the other crimes involving athletes. And I agree with other commentors posting about male privilege (imagine a female athlete having something bad happen to her after drunkenly urinating on a bathroom wall. No one would be saying “she’s just a kid!”)
On the other hand….$11,000 to return a passport seems very shady, especially if they are also going to have him come back to face additional charges/fines. Does an Olympic swimmer outside of a huge name even have $11,000 on hand? Where did it come from?
Emily – I may have been a bit rude to you yesterday on the other thread. Sorry! I was getting on my high horse a bit, frustrated at all the “mental gymnastics” defending these fools, as someone noted above. It’s like me trying to defend the behaviour of English soccer fans abroad by saying it’s all the fault of other people’s police forces! But if I was rude to you: sorry!
Ha! I remember feeling rude to you and was even thinking last night about how wrong I was! Don’t worry about it.
I am not playing mental gymnastics here defending these fools, I’m going by what the law is. Now maybe Brazil has a different definition of what a robbery is but in the US if you point a gun at someone and demand cash, it’s a robbery, Sixer. I don’t care if they vandalized a bathroom or not or if this a third world country or not, this is not how you handle someone vandalizing your property. I’d get arrested in the US if I did that.
All I have to say, I am happy I live in the United States & I will never visit Rio. It wasn’t likely to happen prior to the Olympic Games because of the crime and now it never will because the police is shady.. Jimmy Feigen has to pay $11,000 to get his passport back. He’s 26 years old. Do you think he has that in his back pocket? How is that right? That’s extortion but yet everyone seems to be defending the Rio police.. the same police force that is not investigating the other muggings that took place. For all we know, the police force is lying just like Lochte was.
NoName: this. ^******
Why does that one guy have to pay $11 000 to get his passport back? Is that standard in some countries?
The Today show has a picture of the bathroom the authorities said was vandalized and it looks perfectly fine. They said maybe it wasn’t vandalized or they fixed it but then the police changed their story to a ripped poster. So the Athletes aren’t the only ones changing their story.
I just know I went to Sao Paolo and Bahia, Brazil with a Brazilian ex-boyfriend (he was from Sao Paolo) and some scary stuff went down. Having to go past red lights, quickly going into the garage and closing the door before you’re even all the way inside. Our buggy broke down in the beach in Bahia (gorgeous!) and luckily a bus stopped because it was the last one in the area and the bus driver and locals told my boyfriend that he was lucky because not only would we have been robbed but most likely they would have raped me and worse. Then when we took a taxi back to the hotel after the bus the taxi driver proceeded to tell my boyfriend the same thing. Then his cousin drove us to the airport and when he was heading back home during the day he proceeded to get carjacked at gunpoint, forced to empty his bank account at the ATM, driven to a desolate area in a bad neighborhood, told to walk and that they were going to shoot him in the head and then they took off leaving him miles and miles from home. This was is the ’90’s. But I also have friends that were born there and live there and love it as well as friends that go there all the time for vacation and love it. But, personally, I won’t be back.
This is why one should never act like an idiot and get out of control in a foreign country (not that they should at home either). I tend to think the truth in this case lies somewhere in the middle. I don’t believe Lochte. I don’t believe the Brazilian police. It does look like we’re getting to the real story, and I’m fully willing to believe the swimmers acted stupid, but also that they felt threatened or that they were robbed.
Pulling 2 guys off an airplane and seizing their passports without criminal charges against them is a heightened response. It also pretty much cements that when you go abroad you need to behave yourself or be subject to whatever punishment the offended country wishes to subject you to.
Also, the amount of money Feigan was fined to get his passport back is more than 3 times the monthly earnings of the average Brazilian citizen living in Rio. Literally 25% of their annual income. That is absurd, and I’d be willing to bet anything the average Rio citizen wouldn’t be fined that amount of money. The average monthly salary in Brazil is $680, so that would make this fine 16X the average Brazilian monthly salary – over a year’s salary’s worth of fine.
But, that is the price you pay when you act like an idiot in a foreign country. Don’t act like an idiot in a foreign country.
I feel like the American embassy could intervene to get his passport back for him (er, free of charge). I just can’t tell if the swimmers are smart enough to call the American embassy (which is what I think most normal people would do).
100% to everything you said Maude.
Whatever the real story behind the robbery, the police response (pulling people off planes, taking passports, extorting $11k for an unnamed charity) is chilling. Surely the police could just deal directly with the Olympic Committee to resolve issues involving athletes misbehaving in the host country.
agreed. confusing stories all around but I find the response of the police and Brazil to be a bit crazy.
Lol have you seen the IOC? They are corrupt as well. And they just said that Lochte was a bunch of boys in their statement so nope. Also away from the Olympic Village the IOC doesn’t have any sway. Its why they typically tell athletes to stay in the village
Ok then. Nuff said I guess. Keep your arms in, currency in 5s, and orifices sealed. You git whatcha pay fer.
The right-wing extremist in my family is on Facebook blaming all of this on Barack Obama. According to her, Obama should have sent in the marines to rescue Lochte. In her view, this is Benghazi all over again.
Thank you, Lilacflowers! That was the good belly laugh I needed to start my day.
Now THAT is the scariest part of this whole story.
I have to attend a party with this lunatic tomorrow.
And I’m dining out on it tonight…Thanks!
Damn Obama! Can’t he keep our swimmers safe?
On another note, is Obama seriously getting rid of private prisons?
He is eliminating all for-profit private federal prisons. Sadly, much like his solitary confinement mandate, he can only control Federal prisons and encourage states to follow his example. It is a big deal and at least a great start.
Finally someone is asking the important questions! Although Lochte was the only one that didn’t require rescuing but whatever. But he should personally apologize each to them. If he were a better President and leader they would not have gotten drunk and torn the poster!
LMAO. This whole thread right here is amazing. Well done 🙂
Damn Obama. ILOVETHEOLYMPICS!!!!!!! Fan girl.
Rio is one of the most visited cities in the world, despite all of it’s problems that everyone knows about. Tourists have been robbed before the Olympics and, most importantly, people who live there have to deal with this every day. I think the problem is that people who live there and even brazilians coming from other places that visit there are always more cautious because they deal with a more violent society. One doesn’t deserve to be robbed, but I think people who are not used to be constantly vigilant for that kind of thing might think it’s the most dangerous place ever. I’m even expecting coming to the comment section here and reading someone compare Brazil to the Middle East.
That being said, we obviously don’t know the whole truth, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t robbed. There was an unnecessary reaction from the security guards towards them, no doubt. But there’s no way in hell a mugger would leave phones or anything behind, not in Brazil. It’s pretty clear to me what probably happened, they were wasted, did break that restroom, were at some place and doing something they didn’t want anyone to know about, all of that seem pretty plausible to me. They didn’t want to become the news, but it backfired. They obviously thought that, as said above, their white-american-male privilege would get them out of this mess, that a south american country would just bow down to them and let this one go, but there are laws and serious people in Brazil, and they’re being treated like a brazilian citizen would have been treated.
I just don’t believe that there are so many xenophobic people here to blindly believe some story they were told about how Brazil (and other countries like it) would be so naïve to make up a story like this and, in the end, if the athletes’ version of it were true, look like some banana republic for the entire world to see. Brazilian people have their problems and they’re dealing with them the best way they can. They don’t need some wreckles athletes to make them look bad for something like that.
I think insecurity is a problem in all big cities, there’s always places that it’s better if you don’t go at x time of the day, I have heard of problems in Buenos Aires, Bogota, Lima,etc (just to mention southamerica). But that doesn’t mean it’s warzone, come on…
Exactly. If you consider all the problems of the big cities, no one who lives there would ever leave their houses at all. I do believe the great amount of resources needed for events like the Olympics and World Cup could have a much better use if they were destined to things that could benefit the country as a whole, but to use the violence subject to say that Brazil isn’t capable of holding events like those is laughable. Like there’s a place in this planet that’s 100% safe.
“Pretty sure they weren’t robbed” … Must have been the gun they found so confusing. A PSA would help dispel all the misconceptions floating around frond everyone else as well: “if someone points a gun at you and demands ________, it’s arbitration. Give it up and count yourself a lucky privileged git for escaping with your life intact, asshole/bitch. “
If you are trying to leave the scene without paying when they have asked you to, and they pull a gun and tell you to sit down and wait for the police to arrive I am sure is not that confusing to them as they paid and were let go.
Please Stop comparing how things are done in the States. Law and costumes are different in South America.
I don’t know what Lochte’s endorsement prospects were like after the Olympics but I have to imagine he has significantly damaged those prospects with the attention he’s brought upon himself as a result of this experience.
He trademarked “Jeah” (or at least tried to) I am pretty sure he is sat for life. It’s the new fetch!
Haha I remember that ! He feuded with a rapper (can’t remember his name) over who invented the word “jeah”. It was hilarious ! Ryan better be thanking God he is good at swimming because this boy has nothing up in that head of his…just empty space.
I thought passports actually belong to the issuing government and that’s why they can be taken away. If thenRio police didn’t want to hand it over to the holder, why not give it to the US embassy or consulate? The $11,000 for return of a passport sounds like a bribe, not a legitimate processing fee. Is that really standard procedure in Brazil or anywhere?
Better hold off on judgement for this one, the police stories don’t make sense so far and we certainly have had a lot of experience in the USA with tale-spinning by some police officers. Sounds as though people have just been staying silent after being robbed, but this time it accidentally got some unwanted publicity and all this is basically damage control.
Lesson of the story: Don’t tell your mom anything!!!!
I am so relieved at the thoughtful and civil comments on this site! Most of the comments I’ve read on other sites take a black and white view of the situation. Things are usually more nuanced than they seem. It is possible for both Ryan Lochte to be a privileged douchey manchild and for the Brazilian police to be shady.
Ultimately when you’re in another country you need to be aware of your surroundings and considerate of your host country. You need to be especially careful when you’re literally an official representative of your country.
NBC says the $11,000 is going to Istituto Reacao, a judo academy for low-income children. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-rio-summer-olympics/jimmy-feigen-u-s-swimmer-lochte-scandal-pays-leave-rio-n634201 It seems a lot to me, but then again it was a very embarrassing thing to do.
I went to Rio (and Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte) in 2014 for the World Cup and we had an amazing time and felt generally safe. (Of course, we didn’t stay out drinking all night and vandalise petrol station bathrooms, either).
But why is only one of the swimmers giving money to get out of the country? Legit asking because I do not understand this one.
Kate, the version I have gotten from friends in Brasil is because it was proven to be a lie what he said to the police. This particular swimmer then was fined this much money ( a lot for Brasil ) to make an example out of and the money was donated to charity. I Believe is was done for the press more than anything.
If I were him, I’d be hitting up my 3 team mates to split the cost with me. I think it’s only fair they all pay, not just the one.
If I hear one more person refer to these swimmers as “boys” or “kids” I am going to scream.
LMMFAO at the way ya’ll tripping over yourselves parsing and capping for this Ding Dong and trying to “but But Bu.. ITS REALLY DANGEROUS YOU GUYS!!!” Take The L already .. this is nothing if not a shining example of Ugly American Golden “boy” (at 32 Y.O) doing as is his entitled want in another place that doesn’t work like the well oiled machine that supports and coddles his privilege.. and Behind making himself look good to protect his money this Manchild nearly caused an unnecessary international Incident
+1
Exactly.
Right the caping is so real yet the same people were dragging gabby for her hair and standing at attention. Lord.
Someone got hilariously dragged for giving Lochte a pass for the incident (calling him a kid). Another user was like “if he was black you would call him a thug”. The first person was like where and the guy went and found a tweet from the user about how Carmelo is a thug for a similar incident.
He ended up changing his twitter caption to saying Ryan Lochte is a thug and I know nothing. I died laughing
Oh “KID” that’s just my fave, how a white grown adult turns into “good Kid” at the mere sight of trouble (ALL THE EYEROLLS THAT EVER EYEROLLED)
+1
Ugh, I’ve seen that ‘good Kid’ thing in action irl, and it sure isn’t pretty.
Both my parents are from the Philippines, and whenever I holiday there + go out at night (hell even during the day esp. near the beaches)… you best believe there are those types wandering around drunk, acting like they damn near own the place, and talking down to locals and whatnot like it’s 1898 all over again.
100% agree with you !
Y’all. Trippin. Well then of course you’re right.
I have a question: Did Lochte and Co. actually report the incident to the police?
Yesterday, a lot of commentators were saying that they did not, but now it turns out that they might be indicted for filing a false report.
As I see it – they initially didn’t report anything. Ryan’s mother talked to the press and when Ryan started to mention being robbed at gunpoint by a person posing as an officer, the police came to talk to the four of them. That’s probably the false reports they are talking about.
They are not getting indicted for filling a false report. Brazil isn’t intrested, it would look bad given this situation is so murky. No one was arrested because of their report, all the police resources used were used voluntarily to prove they were lying and it seems like a lot of that leg work was done by the press. A Brazilian charity is getting money, those idiots are out of the country and they have bigger fish to fry. A charge that could result in a three year prison sentence for this would be completely out of proportion and the US already said that they would challenge their extradition. It would be a big, expensive headache they don’t want or need.
So, here’s my thing. These athletes were jackasses for getting drunk and behaving that way and then trying to cover it up. They SHOULD apologize, they SHOULD be held accountable, and they SHOULD be embarrassed for their behavior.
That said, if Brazil spent HALF the time on daily crime as they did on this case, their country would absolutely be better off. If I hear one more person proclaim that these men “defamed Rio’s reputation” I am going to lose my damn mind. Drunken, idiot US swimmers lying does NOT equal Rio is safe and everyone should now go there. Plenty of other athletes WERE mugged/attacked there and all we’re hearing about are these entitled morons.
Also, why isn’t the destruction on the tapes? Its not okay to act like an jerk when representing your country, but I tend to think that gas station clerk took them for a ride on the cost and pocketed it. Also, Lochte’s lawyer has a point, if you hold someone at gunpoint at demand $$ from them, technically that IS robbery.
Ryan has issued an apology he was traumatized by gun wielding security guard.I hope he doesn’t suffer after too much after undergoing this traumatic ordeal.
#sarcasm
Having a gun pulled on you while drunk and the gun man is speaking another language would be traumatic. Prison guards can’t pull guns on tourist for bad behavior and to get money. That is insane.
#ironyatyouhypocrites but you won’t get it.
cash on the spot for damages is normal for lesser developed countries. it saves time and is less expensive. it keeps people on holiday from spending their time rectifying mistakes/accidents and frees them up to enjoy their time in the place and spend their much needed money.
at gun point seems overly extreme but idk how extreme those turds were behaving to begin with. they should have been detained until police arrived and appropriate charges filed. then there would have been no room for all the lies, bs excuses and confusion created by these “boys” representing USA.
no wonder he fled as soon as he could. lochte is a total tosser.
LOL “less expensive” tell that to Jimmy Feigen paying almost $11,000 to leave the country! I almost feel bad for the guys Lochte left behind, this whole damn thing is his entitled fault!
In the video, they just look like they’re walking around to me.
I think we’d have to see the 3 minutes of missing footage to see how badly they were truly behaving, but in the video that was actually released they don’t look like they’re doing anything egregious. That’s what I find weird about the reporting — everyone’s acting like the swimmers were behaving badly on the tape, but I don’t see anything happening on it except people walking around and then the part at the end where they’re sitting down with hands up in the air.
Feigen told police he knew Lochte’s statements were false but he did not say anything to avoid making a big deal. He repeated Lochte’s version to the police, this is why he was charged with giving a false statement, because he later confessed he knew it was a lie. When charged he donated $10800 to a sports charity in a favela, to buy sport equipment, and was released.
Bentz and Conger never gave a statement to the police and when this was corroborated, they were released with no charges, and able to fly back to the US.
Lochte is still talking to the media.
Cee, this is the info we are getting from South America ( you live in Argentina I believe ) America, doesn’t seem to be getting the same. What you have said is exactly what my friends in Brasil have told me.
Things would have gone so much more smoothly for these swimmers if, after vandalizing the bathroom, having a gun pointed at them and their wallets, um, confiscated they had just thought to themselves, “well, that’s Brazilian street justice!” And gone about their day. They thought they were being robbed because, as Lochte’s lawyer said, that’s pretty much the definition of robbery, no matter what you supposedly did to deserve it. Brazil has gone into massive amounts of debt to host these Olympics and US money has been one if the largest influxes of cash for the entire games (NBC is spending a crazy amount of money there -look no further than the fact that the swimming finals were moved to 10pm/11pm at night, which is unheard of, only because NBC wanted them to be live during US prime time). Lochte is one of the biggest stars on the biggest team with the biggest monetary investment in Rio. This was always going to be a bigger story because of that. Brazil literally cannot afford to look bad here, yes specifically in this one instance, for all those reasons. The IOC at this point is just trying to get their athletes out of Brazil, that is their main responsibility. They will say and pay whatever they have to to make that happen.
$11,000 to get your passport back? Let’s reverse it, Brazilian Athletes get drunk in US city, pee behind a kwiki mart, get a gun pointed at them by rent a cops then have to turn over cash. Media storm ensues, one leaves country, US Marshalls yank 2 Brazilian athletes off a plane for questioning and a third has to pay $11,000 to get his passport back to go home. Seriously, the US would be crucified by international press.
I just want to clarify that the 11.000 were paid to get the passaport back. It was a deal made bay the prossecution to drop the charges of giving false statements and report a false crime to the policy.
Its quite common in Latin America just to “settle out of court”, this money will go to a charitable institution. Lets remember that Brazil is almost as big as USA and there are kids in the streets with no food or shelter. Eliminate all the social services in USA and you will have twice as much crime in the streets as there are not more drug users in other country than USA
So are you saying that Brasil is responsible for supporting the homeless in the US??
SMD: yep. The mental gymnastics involved in projecting same on those trying to make sense: priceless.
Street justice for Brasil!
Let me clarify, I think they were arrogant, stupid, foolish and drunk. I am not condoning the swimmer’s behavior, but Brazils handling of this has been awful. They could have handled it much better and come out looking amazing, really think about it.. I hate this event is getting so much coverage versus the amazing feats of athleticism going on right now!!
Kaiser, thank you for trying to sort this mess out past the mud slinging headlines planted by a system hell bent on self defense and character assassination.
Not speaking the language, being semi-drunk, I think Ryan genuinely BELIEVED he had been robbed. He’s American. In America, if someone causes damage to your property, you report them, have them arrested, go to court and then damages are paid.
Having a uniformed individual pointing a gun, demanding cash would have been an unfamiliar (and scary) situation to him -or anyone else I might add.
Regardless of whether or not he’s ever been in a frat, is a male or is white, none of that means he deserves to be exhorted for money down the barrel of a gun.
Or does being a white male mean he was asking for it? Were his clothes also too revealing?
Thank you, well said; because he’s an elite athlete, college educated and apparently “white” he is somehow deserving of violence against his person? What is normal in Brazil -demanding payment for “damages” at gunpoint?- is certainly ALARMING by our culture’s standards. Shame on Brazil for hosting an international event and backing up the behavior of a very twisted practice;
@Elaine: exactly.
What’s really funny is that Ryan was chosen as one of the models to promote the outfits for Team USA for the clothing ceremony ! I bet they are regretting that decision now. Of all the athletes what made them choose him anyway?
Do you mean “closing ceremony” ? if it was supposed to be in Rio then you can bet he isn’t going I bet Ryan Lochte never goes back to Rio in his life!
I wanted to say I feel that everyone is citing the vandalism or their acting inappropriately as if it’s a fact.
When In fact that was just reported from the Brazilian side, We don’t even know if they did anything maliciously at this point or just broke something clumsily while drunk, if even at all. Though there seems to be some acknowledgement of shame from the us side which makes me think something happened, because otherwise they would be protesting innocence.
the swimmers haven’t addressed the vandalism claims as of yet, right?
there’s also conflicting accounts of when the gun was pointed at them.. Was it literally hands up and give us money?
Or did they call the police and were the swimmers (and Lochte specifically) trying to leave and the gun was pulled to keep them to stay while they waiting for the police (not better but again a different intent than presented)
I think Lochte was truly freaked out by the experience and other athletes had been mugged and their stories were spreading around so he felt like he had his own comparable ordeal and he told his mom (also he is very close to his mom) and left out the parts that made him look bad as you sometimes do with your parents. However leaving out him being at fault for the whole thing left her so outraged that she told the press and the rest as they say is Olympic history. Rio 2016!!
I knew they were lying when they said that the robbers let them keep their “phones and credentials”. Anyone who has been in Latin America knows an Iphone or Samsung Galaxy are woth over $1K over there. Thats the first thing they would have taken. From what I have learned from the news Lochte called his mom to ask for $$$ after they had to pay for the broken door, he told the mom he got robbed, mom was upset and told it to the media, media blew it out of proportion and contacted Lochte, then after the Matt Lauer’s interview Lochte filed the police report. Because of all the negative publicity the police did a investigation and confirmed there was no robbery, the $11K might been $20K in the USA for a Vandalism charge after legal fees / fines/ community service/ damage restitution/ etc so I am happy that the money ig going to a charitable institution in Rio, lets not forget that there are not “food stamps” or other social services over there.
The other two swimmers admitted yesterday that there was no robbery and said they only knew Lochte was making up the robbery story when they saw him on TV. The brazilian police had to investigate as he was saying the robbers had police badges. Only on Tuesday with the story on the news 24/7 the staff of the petrol station realised those were the US swimmers that were robbed were same guys they had at the petrol station on Saturday morning.
The cab driver, the security guy and the other staff were all interviewed by the police.
Shame on Ryan for involving the others in such problematic story eithout their knowledge and then flying out of Brazil alone ahead of everyone else and leaving the others to deal with the mess he created.
The police in Rio can be really corrupt but in this case they acted well.
I still can’t understand his reasons. Everything was pretty much resolved, why put out a lie? He surely must’ve knownit would have consequences, he is part of Rem US after all.
I didn’t see anywhere in their recounting where they said the robbery account was made up. They don’t seem to say whether a robbery occurred or did not occur. They elaborate that Lochte yelled, but they don’t admit to him vandalizing a door, just pulling a metal frame from a wall. Then they say that a gun was used at some point and they handed over money, but I don’t really see where in their accounts they actually say Lochte lied. The media is interpreting the swimmers’ words for them, but when I read the actual accounts they just seem to iterate what happened, which seems to align with what Lochte said about guards pointing a gun, without really clarifying whether they thought they were robbed or not.
I’m so confused by the coverage of this story. The headlines will say one thing, but then when I read the swimmers’ accounts they don’t differentiate much from Lochte’s version.
So, we’re defending people pointing guns at other people until they give them money, just as long as the latter are privileged white asshats. Buying my gun and headed to frat row!!!!
I’m just going out on a limb and guessing you haven’t read the other swimmer’s official account. It is NOT flattering for Lochte.
Perspective specialist: If that rich, white girl wasn’t out partying at the wrong time in the wrong country, she never would’ve been raped. She didn’t understand the culture and paid the price. If she had never mentioned it, she’d be safely home by now. But she’s being rightfully investigated for false charges because she told her mom about it and didn’t mention she had been drinking.
You’re comfortable. I get it. But this is how some of you sound. Crusade on.
For all of you defending Lochte, I hope you’re watching his interview with Matt Lauer, where he’s made it clear he lied repeatedly. This whole mess is on him — for bad behavior, lying to his mama, lying to the world and then leaving his team mates out to dry. We wouldn’t be debating whether the reaction of the Rio authorities was appropriate if he had behaved like the majority of the US athletes. Just ticks me off that he’s taking attention from the other athletes!
And there you have it folks! In his interview with with Matt Lauer he admits he KNEW he wasn’t being Robbed but that the security guards were asking for money to repair the damage he had done.
He claims he said these things as he was still drunk from the previous night. What an Idiot!