I think my DH summed it up pretty well, in saying that from all accounts, these guys behaved like a bunch of selfish, entitled, drunken, spring-breaking XXXX XXX... like the arrogant, privileged characters from a John Hughes movie.

I agree with you, maddielee. Such a lie has far-reaching effects, and there should be punitive repercussions IMO.

What a bunch of dunces. The original incident was not worth lying about. Yes, they damaged a bathroom door, but they paid for the damage on the spot, at least that is what I am hearing at the moment. Lochte's story about how he was the only one who stood his ground against the (fictitious) robbers really makes him look like a fool and a braggart. I don't know what they were thinking. Obviously, they weren't.

I have to take umbrage at the term, "Frat boy." lol. Mine were frat boys and didn't behave any differently than guys who weren't in fraternities.

The latest is a video of Ryan and someone else in a gas station fight that same night/morning.

This story is very interesting indeed! However, you can't pay me to go to Rio. A lady from England is in a coma in Rio, with Malaria...from Mosquitoes.

Uh oh!

I guess Lochte had lots of endorsement deals that he can now kiss bye-bye.

So the Brazilian police say that a Security Guard may have used a gun. Emphasis on MAY.

Oakley, you might want to take that up with Oxford Dictionaries, which defines "frat boy" thusly:

frat boy

nounNorth American informal

A young man who behaves in a boisterous or foolish manner considered typical of members of some college fraternities.

;-)

A frat boy is different than a young man who is a member of a fraternity - in popular usage.

It's such a bizarre story. Why would they fabricate something like that? Yet another embarrassment for the US. Trump isn't enough?

Now I feel bad for feeling bad for them over the 'robbery'. I don't know what to believe, but it certainly sounds like the whole thing was a hoax from the start. And why? Why did they feel the need to draw attention to themselves over this? And they really didn't, it was Lochte's mother who brought it up, wasn't it? So did it go down like this....He told her something and she put it out there that they were robbed and by that time they had to go along with Mom's breaking story? Ummmmm, no I'm not buying that one either.

LOL! Dumb as a bag of hair. I like that one, and have also heard "dumb as a box of shower drain hair." Ew.

I agree. Lochte appeared on some reality show(s) in the past, didn't he? I just remember seeing clips on The Soup where he was portrayed as a real dim bulb.

"What Would Ryan Lochte Do?"

What Ryan Lochte Says Leaves TV Anchors In Tears ... Of Laughter

Oh yeah.

I don't think I missed anything by missing all of those episodes.

Ida, all I know is that, "if you're a man at night, you're a man in the morning".

That pearl of wisdom should be carved into Mt. Rushmore or something.

Olychick

A frat boy is different than a young man who is a member of a fraternity - in popular usage.

***************************

Yes, it's a pejorative for bad behavior

ETA: If I use the term 'sophomoric joke' I'm not dissing all sophomores.

Jen, the O.D. even used it in a derogatory way. As you did.

What's unfortunate is that this story is what will be remembered and not the winning of the their swim medals. They have tainted their win. My hope is that the negativity of the story will be contained to these 4 men.

For heaven's sake, the term "frat boys" is widely used and understood, but since it seems to be causing offense and is not the gist of this thread, I have removed those two words from my post above, because I ain't got the desire to go back and forth over something I consider inconsequential.

Next.

Another "ugly American" story.....pathetic.

Indicted!

I've seen him described as swims like a fish, drinks like a fish, thinks like a fish.

Where's the 3 minutes of surveillance tape ?Not to make excuses. Everyone lied. And they all want to save face.

Brazil's hands are far from clean, and they damn well know it.

Did Lochte lie? I think so.

Did the swimmers get a gun pointed at them to exact street justice? I think so.

Another case of athlete entitlement. And no, at 32 years old, he is not a youth, but clearly he has some immaturity issues.

He has lived here since the last Olympics, and from what I know, he has not been in any type of trouble.

My personal 2 cents-I've never liked him. He's always seemed so smug and entitled. Personal bias perhaps, he reminds me of a guy I knew once.

I was pretty skeptical of the story when I heard that Locte said the gun was put to his head-no one elses-his and HE refused to hand over his wallet. Making himself out to be the tough guy/hero.

When I heard about the removal of two of the swimmers off the plane and the call for their passports, then about the gas station and video I felt like my gut instinct had been vindicated. Sorry Ryan, never a fan and now, never will be.

I get they lied but where is the rest of the video? I think a gun was involved. Bad behavior on both sides.

There is video of a security guy, with a gun, approaching the cab at the gas pump.

I was skeptical of the story, too. I watched Lochte with interest, knowing his famewhore tendencies. However, I was pleasantly surprised at his post-event interview composure, maturity and support for his teammates.

Unfortunately, after the swimming events concluded, he predictably let loose like explosive diarrhea.

My first thought was that this story of John Wayne bravado would allow Lochte to arrive home riding a wave of attention and perhaps would spark enough interest to rekindle his failed reality career.

Instead, Lochte has further smeared (and cemented) his reputation and will be considered napalm to anyone who sought him out to endorse their product.

Even the Today show anchors were railing into him today. I think it was Billy Bush that said the worst was when it all started when he lied to his MOTHER. He's not bright enough to think it through. At the time they each paid something like $50 to the store,

Right, mimi, no one's going to want to sign him for endorsements now.

Because I love funny things.....

Billy Bush will never bring himself to call anyone out, even on blatant b.s. like this because he's afraid he'll never get an "exclusive" for whatever trash tabloid show he's hosting.

He LIED, Billy. 3-year olds "embellish". Grown ups LIE.

There may be elements of truth to Lochte's story.

If you break it down, Ryan Lochte first told his mother he was robbed at gunpoint. She was the one who first told the story which was picked up by Social Media. BIlly Bush saw Lochte a few hours later, got the iPhone interview where Lochte used the terms "pulled over" and 'gun to the head'. He flew home on what was a supposidly scheduled flight. He spoke to Matt Laurer and changed the story saying they were not pulled over.

The video shows an armed Security Guard approaching the cab with a gun drawn. (Who knows what was said? Did anyone in the cab translate accurately?)

Now the swimmer, Feigen, has agreed to pay the Brazilian police $11,000.00 to avoid prosecution?????

Ryan Lochte's statement:

I'm still not buying Lochte's story about having a gun pointed at this head. The manner in which he delivered his bravado - his "yeah, whatever" nonchalance and refusal to cooperate with an alleged gunman if a bullet was actually about to be discharged into his skull - is just not credible IMO.

He already said that it wasn't pointed close to his head. The video shows the guy with the gun pointing it towards a window of the cab, have no idea if Lochte was sitting closest to the window.

His initial statement did say that a gun was pointed to his forehead, though. I just think that because he's changed his story so many times, he's not believable.

The security guard already confirmed to pulling his gun.

If you are seated in a car and someone standing outside pulls a gun~that would be pretty close to your head.

If said person then takes money from you~some would call it armed robbery.

Stating that the money was for damages was lost in Lochtes account of the situation.

Using the excuse of being in a foreign country with a language barrier is bs. This is a guy who has been travelling to foreign countries, all with language barriers and different cultures. probably since he was late teens or early 20's for international swim meets. I would think, but I could be wrong, that these athletes are talked about how to behave and to be respectful of the laws and cultures of these countries by their coaches, their parents, their sports federations.

He is now 32 and should be way past this type of behaviour, especially the lying part.

blfenton - exactly. Lochte should be well past this type of behavior by now (it's typically a temporary attribute of much younger men), and the blatant disrespect shown to the host country by the antics of all of the swimmers is deplorable.

I almost bought the apology, until the last sentence: "I'm sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails I mean investigation of my story. Let's go play."

Clearly he just wanted to get home and let his lawyer and publicist or agent handle things.

Having extradition treaties with Brazil ~ Lochte is saying what he feels will appease the Brazilian government. There will be monies donated to "charities" to make it go away.

But there were other athletes that were robbed. Being robbed in Rio isn't a new or rare event and is also a reality that locals/natives have to deal with daily. Locals haven't stopped at traffic lights late at night for more than 30 years, because there is always a danger of being held up during a red light. I have family and friends that live there. The situation changes for better or worse over the years depending on what is happening with the economy and politics.

The Brasilians are also looking pretty silly when they are trying to pretend that Rio (and other cities) don't have a crime problem! Going after some immature punk who lied, isn't going to change what really happens in the streets of Rio!

I would counter some of your points with:

1. Take putting all of our athletes in harm's way with the crooked IOC who handed Rio the games. Frankly, given the challenges of today's world, I give them a lot of credit for keeping these Olympics relatively event free.

2. I don't recall having read, nor seen, any denial of crimes in Rio, in fact, they've talked about their problems with street crime openly.

3. The authorities didn't go after Lochte because he's a punk (which he is, in spades), rather, Lochte and the other 3 swimmers gave false statements to the police. This isn't about changing Rio, it's about treating Rio like a 3rd-world urinal and Banana Republic, which up until this very moment, Lochte hasn't show any insight which would make anyone think he's got one ounce of remorse for.

We look no better when our athletes reassure the rest of the world that we really are xenophobic imperialists.

Here is a statement from one of the other swimmers involved:

http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/c-swim/spec-rel/081916aac.html

Aug. 19, 2016

Statement by University of Georgia Swimmer Gunnar Bentz

"I want to offer a sincere apology to the United States Olympic Committee, USA Swimming, the extraordinary women and men of Team USA, and the University of Georgia. Being a member of the Olympic Swimming Team was an honor and a dream come true. The accomplishments of my teammates were awe-inspiring and I'm so pleased I got to see them up close. I regret this situation has drawn attention away from the Olympics, which have been hosted so incredibly well by Brazil and its citizens.

"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.

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. There was a locked door out back and I did not witness anyone breaking it open. I am unsure why, but while we were in that area, Ryan pulled to the ground a framed metal advertisement that was loosely anchored to the brick wall. I then suggested to everyone that we needed to leave the area and we returned to the taxi.

"Two men, whom I believe to have been security guards, then instructed us to exit the vehicle. No guns were drawn during this exchange, but we did see a gun tucked into one of the guard's waistband. As Jimmy and Jack were walking away from the vehicle, the first security guard held up a badge to me and drew his handgun. I yelled to them to come back toward us and they complied. Then the second guard drew his weapon and both guards pointed their guns at us and yelled at us to sit on a nearby sidewalk.

"Again, I cannot speak to his actions, but Ryan stood up and began to yell at the guards. After Jack and I both tugged at him in an attempt to get him to sit back down, Ryan and the security guards had a heated verbal exchange, but no physical contact was made.

"A man that I believe to be a customer approached us and offered to help as he spoke both English and Portuguese. Understandably, we were frightened and confused during this time. Through the interpreter, one of the guards said that we needed to pay them in order to leave. I gave them what I had in my wallet, which was a $20 bill, and Jimmy gave them 100 Reals, which is about $50 in total. They lowered the guns and I used hand gestures to ask if it was okay to leave and they said yes. We walked about a block down the street and hailed another taxi to return to the Village.

"Videos of this situation have been emerging the last several days. However, I am confident that some video angles have not been shown that would further substantiate my account. I also believe some scenes have been skipped over. Additionally, I would like to stress that our original taxi was not pulled over; the only occupants of the taxi were the four of us and the driver; and to my knowledge, there was no damage done to the door or the inside of the restroom.

"I am so thankful for the love and support of my family, my friends and my teammates during this time. Without question, I am taking away a valuable life lesson from this situation. In everything I do, I am representing my family, my country and my school. I will not take that responsibility lightly."

-- Gunnar Bentz, Aug. 19, 2016

SWIMMING & DIVING HOME

Gunnar gets it. Lochte is an idiot of the first order to have bowed up like an arrogant arsehole, putting them all at further risk. Then, the coward hightailed it out of Brazil as the poop hit the fan, leaving his younger cohorts to deal with the situation he created.

If not for Lochte and his endless stupidity and ego, this incident would have been over and done, the swimmers and US in general would not have been embarrassed by this incident, and no one would been the wiser except the 4 teammates who had up until when Lochte lied publicly and repeatedly, had a really fun night to cap off what was by all accounts, an AMAZING olympics for them.

WOW. There is an underlying Olympic Issue. After their competition is over it is a FREE FOR ALL of sex/drugs/alcohol. Brazil is a cesspool. Don't blame Lottke for that!!! Lottke got caught. He is no more guilty of poor behavior than most of the athletes. They are just able to keep it out of the media. Maybe it is a swimmer thing..same issues of private behavior vs public has plagued Phelps....

Here you go arcy, this is from The Guardian...it really must be a free for all of lewd and disgusting behavior by liars and truth-tellers alike!

"Seventeen days, 10,500 athletes, 33 venues, and 450,000 condoms. That’s how many camisinhas (little shirts in Brazilian slang) are being supplied by the International Olympics Committee for the 2016 Rio Summer Games. Forty-two per athlete, to be specific, which, even by Olympic standards, is a hell of a lot.

Australian Olympians to be given Zika virus-proof condoms at Rio Games

Read more

Welcome to the most promiscuous Olympics in history. The provision of 350,000 condoms, 100,000 female condoms and 175,000 packets of lubricant for Rio’s Olympic Village – the usual mix of ripped athletes, condos, " etc etc

Lochte is a dolt. We can all hope that he would be a good representative for our country and act like a mature, intelligent adult. But, that is just not possible. It appears there was fault on both sides. No one should be waving guns around because of vandalism. And people shouldn't lie to the police and on national TV. Lochte should have known better. But he will forever be too stupid to figure it out.