Ryan Lochte has been dropped by Speedo, one of his sponsors, following his behavior in Rio.
“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 cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for,” the company said in a statement (via TMZ). “We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience.”
Speedo will be donating $50,000 to Save the Children and the charity will use the money to support the children in Brazil.
The U.S. Olympic Committee is not too happy with Ryan Lochte.
CEO Scott Blackmun told NBC News that “further action” is coming after the 32-year-old swimmer admitted to being intoxicated and exaggerating what he called a “robbery” at a gas station during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
“They let down our athletes,” Scott said. “They let down Americans.”
He added, “People are going to remember the incident, but that doesn’t define these games.”
In case you missed it, watch the first part of Ryan‘s interview about the incident with Matt Lauer.
During an interview on NBC with Matt Lauer, the 32-year-old Olympics swimmer spoke about the late-night incident involving him and three teammates at a Rio de Janiero gas station last weekend and how he “over-exaggerated” the story.
Initially, Ryan said that he and teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen were robbed at gunpoint – all allegations were founded to be made up.
Ryan explained his situation by saying, “whether you call it a robbery or extortion or us paying just for the damages. All we know was there was a gun pointed in our direction and were demanded to give money.”
“We just wanted to get out of there,” Ryan continued. “There was a gun pointed in our direction. We were all frightened, and we wanted to get out of there as quick as possible. The only way we knew was this guy saying you have to give them money, so we gave them money and we got out.”
When he was interviewed about the situation the following day, Ryan claims he was “still intoxicated” from the night before because he “definitely had way too much to drink.”
Later on in the interview, Ryan fought back tears as he described how he felt being back in the U.S. while his teammates were detained in Brazil for further interrogations.
“I let my team down,” Ryan said. “I wanted to be there. Like, I don’t want them to think that I left and left them dry, because they were my teammates. I wanted to definitely be there, and I wanted to help out any way I could.”
“I was immature, and I made a stupid mistake,” Ryan said. “I’m human. I’ll definitely learn from this. I’m just really sorry.”
The second part of Matt Lauer‘s interview with Ryan Lochte will air Monday morning on NBC.
Ryan Lochte and his girlfriend Kayla Rae Reid arrive back at home following their stay in New York on Saturday (August 20) in Charlotte, N.C.
The 32-year-old swimmer and his girlfriend were in NYC for an interview where Ryan talked about his controversial alleged robbery story at a gas station during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
The couple was also spotted arriving into the city via private jet earlier in the day.
Watch Ryan talk about the Rio incident in his interview with Matt Lauer, airing in primetime on NBC.
The interview will air partially TONIGHT (August 20) during coverage of the Olympics, and other parts of the interview will be revealed on The Today Show on Monday.
20+ pictures inside of Ryan Lochte and Kayla Rae Reid arriving home… More Here! »
Ryan Lochte will open up about his scandal in Rio in an interview with Matt Lauer that will air in primetime on NBC.
The 32-year-old swimmer’s interview will air partially TONIGHT (August 20) during coverage of the Olympics and portions of the interview will be shown on The Today Show on Monday morning.
Ryanissued an apology statement this weekend for his behavior in the incident at a gas station in Rio and “not being more careful and candid” in the way he described what happened originally.
Team USA swimmer Gunnar Bentz, 20, has issued an apology for the controversial incident involving the claim that he and teammates Ryan Lochte, Jimmy Feigen, and Jack Conger were robbed at gunpoint at a gas station in Rio.
It was later found that the U.S. swimmers had reportedly vandalized the gas station.
Gunnar‘s apology was issued to his team, the U.S. Olympic Committee and his former university in a statement posted on the University of Georgia athletics website.
“While I am anxious to put this matter behind me and rejoin my Georgia teammates in classes, practices and competitions, I feel compelled to stress several key points,” Gunnar wrote.
“1. I was never a suspect in the case from the beginning (Brazilian law enforcement officials saw me only as a witness).
2. I never made a false statement to anyone at any time.”
“I also want to be forthright about the details of what transpired last Sunday. What follows is consistent with the account I gave to the Brazilian authorities when I was interviewed for the first and only time on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro.”
“After attending an event with several swimmers from different nations, I left in a taxicab along with U.S. swimmers Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen and Ryan Lochte around 6 a.m. On the way back to the Olympic Village, we pulled into a convenience store to use the restroom. There was no restroom inside, so we foolishly relieved ourselves on the backside of the building behind some bushes.”
Click inside to read Gunnar’s full apology and account of what happened that night…More Here! »
Ryan Lochte has released an official apology for his involvement in the reported gas station bathroom vandalism in Rio.
The 32-year-old Olympic gold medalist originally claimed that he and three teammates were robbed at gunpoint, but the story later fell apart and it was revealed that he allegedly vandalized the bathroom. The USOC has since released an apology and the swimmers involved have been making their way back to the United States.
“I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend — for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics,” Ryan said in a statement released on Instagram on Friday (August 19). “I waited to share these thoughts until it was confirmed that the legal situation was addressed and it was clear that my teammates would be arriving home safely.”
“It’s traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country – with a language barrier – and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave, but regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry to my teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors, and the hosts of this great event,” Ryan continued. “I am very proud to represent my country in Olympic competition and this was a situation that could and should have been avoided. I accept responsibility for my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons.”
“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,” Ryan concluded. “There has already been too much said and too many valuable resources dedicated to what happened last weekend, so I hope we spend our time celebrating the great stories and performances of these Games and look ahead to celebrating future successes.”
