Editorial Coverage Sponsored By FINIS
Less than one week after taking the Olympic news outlets by storm with what turned out to be a false reporting of robbery, U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte has issued an apology via his Instagram account.
In his lengthy Instagram post, Lochte apologizes for taking attention away from the Olympic Games and “from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics.”
Lochte reiterated in his apology that a gun was pointed at him and that money was demanded, while the Brazilian police have concluded that the gun referred to was the one owned by the security guard who confronted the group of athletes after they vandalized a gas station bathroom.
While Lochte has been back in the U.S. since Monday, the three athletes with him that night (Jimmy Feigen, Jack Conger, and Gunnar Bentz) have been in Brazil all week cooperating with the Brazilian authorities. Bentz and Conger were put on a plane late Thursday night after giving witness testimonies Wednesday night. Feigen, however, was required to make a donation to charity in order to get his passport back so he could return home.
Read Lochte’s full apology, courtesy of his Instagram account, below:
Full ESPN report can be read here.
- OFFICIAL SITE FOR RIO
- RIO COMPETITION SCHEDULE
- WHERE TO WATCH LIVE VIDEO OF OLYMPICS
- USA MEN'S SWIMMING TEAM
- USA WOMEN'S SWIMMING TEAM
- USA DIVERS GOING TO RIO
- USA WOMEN WATER POLO TEAM
- SWIMMING MEDAL PREDICTIONS
- FULL DAY 1 RESULTS
- FULL DAY 2 RESULTS
- FULL DAY 3 RESULTS
- FULL DAY 4 RESULTS
- FULL DAY 5 RESULTS
- FULL DAY 6 RESULTS
- FULL DAY 7 RESULTS
- FULL DAY 8 RESULTS
- WOMEN'S 10K OPEN WATER RESULTS
- MEN'S 10K OPEN WATER RESULTS
- FULL OLYMPIC SWIMMING RESULTS
Many a time I have woken up after a good night out – looked in my purse & thought I’d been robbed!! Do you report it??? Big no no Lochte!! Still an amazing athlete though ! X
amazing athlete how? he barely performed this Olympics. maybe if he was not worried about drinking and partying his 32 year old body could have performed. he WAS an amazing athlete. not anymore. Thought he was supposed to be so great going with a new coach and everything in NC. Guess that didn’t work out
No more Olympics for these swimmers.is this how they represent the USA ?
He should be saying this in person, in front of a camera in Brazil.
Weak “apology” and lacks ownership of how he mishandled every misguided step. Integrity is not something this dude posses.
He has detracted the focus of the accomplishments of the US athletes and more so, the swimmers. Sparse coverage now of Ledecky and Phelps. All the focus is on him. Such a shame and possibly a missed opportunity to take swimming to the next level. Apologies should have come quickly, not backing lies with more lies.
TOTALLY!!!!!!
Was that even an apology! I read it as: “I was wrong, BUT….Blah, blah, blah!”…..How can he live up to his past winnings, so sad for one minute of stupidity messes up a life time of opportunities! What was he thinking? His teammates are also done with, I’m afraid! Yikes!….:(
He did this to get attention which is bad especially for an adult in his 30’s.
How about saying “I’m sorry for LYING and leaving my teammates behind to clean up my mess.”
EXACTLY. SHOW SOME REMORSE FOR EMBARRASSING AN ENTIRE COUNTRY AND LEAVING THE OTHER SWIMMERS TO CLEAN UP YOUR MESS. THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE VANDALIZATION AS MUCH AS IT IS ABOUT THE ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE LIE THAT HE TOLD TO MATT LAUER WITHOUT SKIPPING A BEAT!! THEN HE AND HIS LAWYER PERPETUATED THE SAME LIE WHEN THEY GOT BACK TO AMERICA WHILE THE BOYS WERE DETAINED!! WHAT GOOD PERSON WITH A CONSCIENCE AT ALL DOES THIS. BAN HIM FROM EVER ATTENDING ANOTHER OLYMPIC EVENT FOREVER!! HE IS A DISGRACE TO ALL SWIMMERS IN AMERICA.
Wat a shame!lack of credibility!not sure wats yur real motive dude!
Quote:///
“For an American athlete to try to humiliate his host in order to cover his own stupidity is the very definition of ‘Ugly American’,” said Ann Killion in the San Francisco Chronicle.//
These swimmers should be sanctioned though. As careless as they were, they put Brazil in a poor light. There were not robbed at all, as I understand it.
i hoped that he has learned his lesson and was very rude about making up stories to the brazil police.glad that he did well in swimming to win the gold medals.they were not robbed at all.i agree to that.as careless as they were.ryan and his swimmers should have avoid not going to the gas station in the first place
He really screwed up but I forgive him.
Um how about just not lie to begin with
There must be punishment for what he did!
Where are all of Lochtes supporters now? Lmao!
This is an apology? Sounds more like using what happened to them at the gas station as an excuse for bad behavior and judgement by all of them all night long.
Why did they stay out so late if they knew there were problems with robberies? Why were they all laughing and joking when they returned to the Village? Doesn’t seem like they the whole situation was that “traumatic” from their behavior.
I read Lochte had to issue some kind of apology (even a weak one like this) so he didn’t get banned for life by US Swimming. They should ban him and the others for awhile anyway. And he can kiss his endorsements goodbye.
A little late for apologies… It’s one thing that you made a mistake but to lie about it is another thing. Come on…you are 32 years old.
not just a little late…a lot late. and that was no apology. that was a joke showing absolutely no remorse at all because he isn’t sorry. he doesn’t care. this is not something to just move on from because it was not a small incident. it was a world wide scandal that makes USA Swimming look horrible! How can a 32 year old think this is ok. How was he raised? I am mortified.
Right here. He was wrong. Should have stepped up immediately. It was his mother who reported the whole thing. This mistake does impact his reputation. But he has been one of the kindest, humble most approachable athlete out there. Not like some that are considered God because he swam well this Olympics. What about his mistakes?
And sober don’t forget sober apparently.
Poster boy for USA swimming
Too little too late
And honest…
Ryan what we’re you thinking
Lochte is a certifiable idiot. He hasn’t begun to apologize for his foolish and outrageous behavior.
When I buy a suit from Speedo (maybe not no more) I wish I could designate which athletes get my marketing dollars. In the end, we the consumer/fans pay these idiots to do stupid these things.. Outrageous….
This family is full of attention starved idiots. You got Lochte who using Matt Lauer an the Olympics as a platform to lie for attention. You got his mom who would go on national tv to say her kid was robbed at gunpoint!! What mom who really cares about their kid would do this? She didn’t even go see him after he called her to tell her of the “Trauma” that he endured. If a son of mine was held up at gunpoint in Rio, you better believe I’d get my butt out the bed to go be with him. Nah…she goes back to sleep to get beauty rest for her tv appearance since she didn’t get the media attention that Michael Phelp’s mom and fiance got during the games. Then she figured let me tell the about my son who was traumatized at the hand of robbers last night!!!! YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS CRAP UP! It’s straight crazy. The problem here seems to run in the family. You don’t just become 32 years old with zero conscience when you are raised with morals and respect. Nah, that just don’t happen. Isn’t this the same woman that told the world her son only goes on one night stands!! She had to follow that up with a bang…and boy did she ever.. she killed it…literally killed her own son’s career because she had to open her mouth. Killed the whole vibe of the Olympics too. Such a sad thing
there is no excuse for his behavior and lies. He has disgraced himself and his host country and the U.S.A. as bad as any football hooligan. He should be dropped by all of his endorsements and by the team USA.
Obviously nobody making their opinions known about Ryan Lochte has ever made a mistake, done or said something embarrassing or has lied. If anyone says yes then they are lying. Disappointed in Ryan ~ you bet, but he has come forward and apologized and admitted his human failings and hopefully will come out the other side a mature man who makes the right decisions. He was so drunk that all he can remember is a gun being pointed at them and demands made for money. Maybe the security footage allowed him to remember other details or his drunkenness totally clouded his memory of what went on. His interview with a very smug Matt Lauer was hard to watch, but kudos to him for admitting his immaturity and shouldering all the blame. Hang in there Ryan. Don’t abandon him Ryan fans. We are all human and make stupid choices, but do learn from them as I am sure Ryan will.
He should be banned from ever swimming again. Then left his homeboys in Rio to defend themselves, while his( punk ass )flew home to mommy and daddy. I hope they strip all his endorsements. A spoil freaking BRAT!!! Total JACKASS!!!!!