Four-time Olympian Ryan Lochte is seeking treatment for alcohol addiction and will enter a rehab program “immediately” per Yahoo! Sports.
“Ryan has been battling from alcohol addiction for many years and unfortunately, it has become a destructive pattern for him,” Lochte’s lawyer Jeff Ostrow told TMZ Sports.
“He has acknowledged that he needs professional assistance to overcome his problem and will be getting help immediately.”
The statement continues,
“Ryan knows that conquering this disease now is a must for him to avoid making future poor decisions, to be the best husband and father he can be, and if he wants to achieve his goal to return to dominance in the pool in his fifth Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.”
TMZ Sports first reported Lochte tried to kick in his hotel room door at 3 a.m Thursday morning (PT) after a night of partying in Southern California. Police were called, but no arrests were made as Lochte was able to smooth over the incident with the hotel staff.
In a non-alcohol related incident, Lochte flew home after the hotel disturbance and rear-ended a car with his Porsche in Gainesville, Florida, while driving from the airport. Lochte was cited for careless driving, while the driver of the car he hit was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. “There’s no mention of alcohol in the police report,” TMZ reported. The crash reportedly occurred around 9:45 p.m. ET
According to a Gainesville Police Department report obtained by PEOPLE, Lochte was driving his Porsche in Alachua County around 9:45 p.m. when the male driver of a car in front of him slammed on his brakes. Realizing he was going to hit the car, Lochte attempted to brake and swerved his car to avoid the collision, but hit the right fender, according to the report — which states that alcohol use was not suspected.
Ostrow, told PEOPLE that, “It was the tiniest of accidents and had nothing to do with his decision to seek treatment. It’s embarrassing that the outlets would even consider reporting on it.”
Ryan Lochte was involved in the now-infamous Rio gas station scandal that resulted in him being handed a 10-month suspension after the 2016 Olympics.
Lochte was again suspended in 2018 after he posted a picture of himself on social media getting an IV infusion without a Therapeutic Use Exemption. Lochte is eligible to compete again July 2019.
TMZ and Yahoo! contributed to this report.
Proud of you. Soldier on??.
When you get to the other side you will never have felt better about yourself, the world and your place in it in your entire life.
Katie Tomkinson
Jordan Aldrich
Good luck Ryan…
GOAT
Lewis McColl
Poor guy
Emily Daniels
????
Kendra Lair
Wow poor dude. Tbt to my obsession
Kendra Lair haha exactly why I tagged you
Go get it Ryan! You got this! Come back even stronger.
Eduardo Lopez Diaz dont memes
Se pasa la verdad
What a karma!
Sarah Swann ?
Terrible role model
Haven’t drank in over 3 years. Now Im way fitter and faster! He will make an amazing comeback after getting alcohol out of his system
I have wondered if this was an issue for him. I am glad he is seeking help.
Good for him. At least he already knows how to work hard. It’s a process not a race. It’s a distance thing.
Remember hard does not mean impossible. Luck to you Ryan.
We knew he needed some help!
I pray God will open his eyes and his heart so that he can see how he’s been blessed in life.
If he’s in trouble then the last place he needs to be is one of those woo woo rehab clinics. Hope he gets some proper help.
Sara Stacy
Heidi Koeppel
Oh wow
How can he perform drunk?
????, all the best Ryan
Get well soon, Ryan!
I knew he was cheating