(Photo: Twitter / @USAToday)
Ryan Lochte has issued an apology for his conduct during the recent scandal surrounding his allegedly fabricated story of being pulled over and robbed at gunpoint in Rio, E! News reports.
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Lochte had originally claimed that he was riding in a taxi with teammates Jimmy Feigen, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, last weekend when they were pulled over by men posing as police who then robbed them at gunpoint, putting a gun to Lochte’s head and taking his wallet.
It was later revealed that Lochte’s version of events was reportedly untrue, as investigators uncovered a video of the four swimmers at a gas station around 6 A.M. on August 14, with one swimmer allegedly damaging a bathroom before the group got into a taxi. Security approached the taxi, the athletes exited the vehicle and one security guard pointed a gun at the group. The swimmers then handed over money before leaving, PEOPLE reports. BuzzFeed reports that Lochte allegedly then called his mother and told her he and the others had been robbed at gunpoint.
“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,” Lochte said in a statement issued on social media Friday morning.
“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,” he added.
“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,” the swimmer 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 from valuable lessons.”
Brazilian authorities had previously told reporters that Conger and Bentz had confessed that Lochte’s story was “fabricated.”
The fourth swimmer in involved in the incident, Feigen, has agreed to make an $11,000 donation to charity in order to be allowed to leave Brazil.
The United States Olympic Committee has also issued a statement regarding the scandal, PEOPLE reports, apologizing to the people of Brazil for the swimmers’ behavior.
Below is the USOC statement in its entirety:
Two U.S. Olympic swimmers (Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger) have given statements to local authorities today regarding the incident first reported on Sunday, August 14, 2016. Their passports have been released and they recently departed Rio.
After providing a statement earlier in the week, a third (James Feigen) provided a revised statement this evening with the hope of securing the release of his passport as soon as possible.
Working in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate in Rio, we have coordinated the athletes’ cooperation with local authorities and ensured their safety throughout the process, but we have not seen the full statements provided by Bentz and Conger.
However, we understand that they describe the events that many have seen on surveillance video made publicly available today. As we understand it, the four athletes (Bentz, Conger, Feigen and Ryan Lochte) left France House early in the morning of August 14 in a taxi headed to the Olympic Village. They stopped at a gas station to use the restroom, where one of the athletes committed an act of vandalism. An argument ensued between the athletes and two armed gas station security staff, who displayed their weapons, ordered the athletes from their vehicle and demanded the athletes provide a monetary payment. Once the security officials received money from the athletes, the athletes were allowed to leave.
The behavior of these athletes is not acceptable, nor does it represent the values of Team USA or the conduct of the vast majority of its members. We will further review the matter, and any potential consequences for the athletes, when we return to the United States.
On behalf of the United States Olympic Committee, we apologize to our hosts in Rio and the people of Brazil for this distracting ordeal in the midst of what should rightly be a celebration of excellence.
With three days remaining in the Olympic Games, our primary focus will remain on supporting the athletes who are still competing and celebrating the achievements of those who have finished.
This article first appeared on Womanista.com
