Rio Scandals: Is It Ready, Will The Place Kill You & More!

[DollEyes]

 Re Ryan Lochte's "apology," his doing it on Instagram was bad enough, but when he apologized to his sponsors before Brazil, I was like, "Really, bitch?" This fool has caused a major shitstorm that has done more damage to the U.S. Olympic team as a whole than Hope Solo's big mouth, green pool water and the Zika virus combined and he puts losing money over insulting both the host city and the home country of the 2016 Olympics? Whatever brains Lochte ever had-tiny as they are-have been destroyed by too much pool chlorine and that horrific dye job. If Lochte was as remorseful as he says he is, then he would have apologized for what he did, not just for lying about it. 

Rio & Brazil's bad reputations where crime is concerned are well-justified, but Lochte's exploiting those fears and perpetuating Ugly American stereotypes in the process only made things worse. As for the security guards' parts in all this, they weren't at their best either, but that doesn't excuse Lochte & Company. They got drunk, vandalized someone's business and acted like spoiled, entitled assholes when they got caught. The others involved gave written statements too, but theirs seemed more contrite than Lochte's. It would serve Lochte right if he lost his endorsements. Since Lochte was the ringleader who was too drunk and stupid to care about what he stood to lose, then he shouldn't have it anymore, as far as I'm concerned.  My suggestion to Speedo and Ralph Lauren for a future spokes person: Nathan Adrian. He's got all of the pretty and none of the stupid. 

Edited August 21, 2016 by DollEyes

[Sew Sumi]

Didn't hear a peep about these guys, unlike the outcries about Gabby. 

 

[kokapetl]

22 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Didn't hear a peep about these guys, unlike the outcries about Gabby. 

 

Who are they?

[Ohwell]

I think they're the two US shot putters who won gold & silver.  They aren't the only team of US medalists who didn't put their hand over their heart.  I think the reason Gabby got the publicity was because she was the only one of the five who didn't and it just looked odd because she stood out.  Not that she deserved it, but I'm just saying.

[Wildcard]

Well, this sucks considering how well the Paralympics went off in London.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/19/sport/paralympics-rio-budget-cuts/index.html

[NUguy514]

1 hour ago, Sew Sumi said:

Didn't hear a peep about these guys, unlike the outcries about Gabby. 

 

Yep, don't think I didn't notice that either.  These two and our three women who swept the hurdles didn't put their hands over their hearts, and it's no big deal (and for the record, it completely isn't a big deal); Gabby Douglas doesn't put her hand over her heart, and it's license to bully her again, some more about what a garbage hell demon she is.  Sure, that seems fair.

[Mittengirl]

Well, you know what they say, there are three sides to every story - yours, mine and the truth.

[Noreaster]

2 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Well, you know what they say, there are three sides to every story - yours, mine and the truth.

Heh, pretty much.  We could all pick and choose which pieces of information to believe all we want, but the reality is all the people involved could be telling the truth to the best of their knowledge and still have vastly different versions of events. Rashoman, anyone?

[jjj]

This is why I've been saying this will be long-term damage to Lochte's reputation as an Olympian -- there will not be a chance for a redemption arc for him, because he will very likely not be able to swim in Worlds.  Yes, he will be a cartoon celebrity on "Dancing with the Stars" and in reality-TV-world.  But he blew up his relationship with the IOC.  The ones I feel very bad for are the swimmers still in college -- they may well be banned from competition; I don't know if they have athletic scholarships.  What they did was stupid, not international-incident criminal.  But Lochte took a small mis-step and made it an international incident.

"IOC to investigate US swimmers in robbery report fiasco" (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/20/sport/us-olympics-swimmers-reported-robbery-future/

[kokapetl]

So did they really damage the "mirror with a sink"?

Edited August 20, 2016 by Kokapetl

[tenativelyyours]

2 hours ago, DollEyes said:

 Re Ryan Lochte's "apology," his doing it on Instagram was bad enough, but when he apologized to his sponsors before Brazil, I was like, "Really, bitch?" This fool has caused a major shitstorm that has done more damage to the U.S. Olympic team as a whole than Hope Solo's big mouth, green pool water and the Zika virus combined and he puts losing money over insulting both the host city and the home country of the 2016 Olympics? Whatever brains Lochte ever had-tiny as they are-have been destroyed by too much pool chlorine and that horrific dye job. If Lochte was as remorseful as he says he is, then he would have apologized for what he did, not just for lying about it. 

Rio & Brazil's bad reputations where crime is concerned are well-justified, but Lochte's exploiting those fears and perpetuating Ugly American stereotypes in the process only made things worse. As for the security guards' parts in all this, they weren't at their best either, but that doesn't excuse Lochte & Company. They got drunk vandalized someone's business and acted like spoiled, entitled assholes when they got caught. The others involved gave written statement too, but theirs seemed more contrite than Lochte's. It would serve Lochte right if he lost his endorsements. Since Lochte was the ringleader who was too drunk and stupid to care about what he stood to lose, then he shouldn't have it anymore, as far as I'm concerned.  My suggestion to Speedo and Ralph Lauren for a future spokes person: Nathan Adrian. He's got all of the pretty and none of the stupid. 

 

Yeah, I'm not going to assume that.  So far we have a take that tries to mitigate left and right all the while trying to dance around the fact that all of these young men lied.  Which is a huge problem for me if they just peed against a wall and tore down a poster and yet the poor little precious American Olympians had GUNS!  guns I tell you against their heads?  So why the robbery story?  I cannot believe the money was that much of an issue.  I can't believe that admitting peeing against a wall is that much of an issue -- Lochte bragged about doing in the pools he swam in more than once in the past.  So why the effort to lie?  Why the need to conflate a story that is already more "chuckle" worthy as a "oh those boys!" type anecdote but to make themselves victims as well as all in the right?

The first public apology is interesting in that it says "sorry" to pretty much everyone that might have a say in his future but seems to avoid the ones he was a part in trying to disparage i.e. anyone in Brazil.  Nice going.  Mitigation mitigation mitigation.  I really wish one of them had to the balls to say, "we were silly, we were stupid and we did something wrong and for that I am sorry".  But nope.  gotta dance that out and somehow get at least one or two steps that try to bleat a "but" or two in there. 

If there is any over reaction in my mind it is the fact that this is news and news made by Lochte and a couple of little sheep that followed and didn't see their way to stepping out of line until it went farther than they hoped. 

[Sew Sumi]

38 minutes ago, Kokapetl said:

So did they really damage the "mirror with a sink"?

None of the Team USA guys are admitting even entering a bathroom. I admit I haven't seen the video (and don't really want to). This is definitely be a point of contention. To be honest, I don't put it past Locthe to break into a bathroom and bust it up. However, I can also see the Brazilian police being humiliated and blaming everything on the Ugly Americans. 

As many others have said, I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I do believe the two statements, but they didn't elaborate on the bathroom. I imagine only Lochte, who seems to be the one who went ballistic, knows the truth about that. #LochtebeingLochte

[Sew Sumi]

1 hour ago, NUguy514 said:

Yep, don't think I didn't notice that either.  These two and our three women who swept the hurdles didn't put their hands over their hearts, and it's no big deal (and for the record, it completely isn't a big deal); Gabby Douglas doesn't put her hand over her heart, and it's license to bully her again, some more about what a garbage hell demon she is.  Sure, that seems fair.

That's why I felt I had to bring up the hypocrisy. There isn't a fucking LAW that says what you have to do during the anthem. I'm actually Team Gabby, shot putters, and the one gal in the USA hurdle sweep. If I wore hats, I'd take it off and respect the flag. I just think it's bullshit that no one else got raked over the coals for it aside from Gabby. 

[bosawks]

1 hour ago, Mittengirl said:

Well, you know what they say, there are three sides to every story - yours, mine and the truth.

The truth is that Lochte is an idiot.

[tanyak]

Lawd y'all. Ryan has done a sit-in with Matt Lauer. It's airing tonight and on Today on Monday but they showed a snippet at the start of NBC News. He still can't come out and say they weren't robbed. He looked so uncomfortable, as he should. We're heading out to a ball game, but I'm DVRing the prime time coverage, so I'll see it later. 

Oh, he's brunette again. 

[roamyn]

I just saw that tanyak.

He keeps talking abt the trauma they felt and the "miscommunicatiotn", but nothing abt the LYING or FILING A FALSE POLICE REPORT!

He's in damage control mode.

[windsprints]

Quote

there will not be a chance for a redemption arc for him, because he will very likely not be able to swim in Worlds

Not sure if this is in reply to my post (I posted earlier and used the term redemption) but I wasn't talking about being redeemed in the swimming world. I have no idea how the organization who governs swimming competitions generally handles controversies. I was responding to posts about whether or not Lochte would be fine, be able to earn money, etc.  The redemption I was talking about was his image as a whole to the American public, many of which do not follow swimming all that closely.  Could he be someone American will cheer for on DWTS? Have a reality show? Possibly appear in commercials again at some point?  I maintain that it is possible. Look at some of the controversies celebrities have come back from. Hell we have a presidential candidate who insults women, people who practice certain religions, other cultures, poor people, veterans and yet there he is, running for president with many people supporting him.  The only real point I'm trying to make is that there have been many famous people that have done equally (or worse) than Lochte and continued along.

Quote

So far we have a take that tries to mitigate left and right all the while trying to dance around the fact that all of these young men lied.

Did they all lie though?  As far as I have seen Conger and Bentz didn't speak with the media (to make any claims) and the police released them after they gave their statements saying they were witnesses only.  I may have missed it but did they ever say they were robbed?

Quote

That's why I felt I had to bring up the hypocrisy. There isn't a fucking LAW that says what you have to do during the anthem. I'm actually Team Gabby, shot putters, and the one gal in the USA hurdle sweep. If I wore hats, I'd take it off and respect the flag. I just think it's bullshit that no one else got raked over the coals for it aside from Gabby.

 I'm with you that its unfair and don't get the uproar.  Gabby being the reigning champion had all eyes on her and her picture was everywhere. I certainly doesn't make it right but many of the trolls that picked on Gabby for it probably have no idea about these other athletes. The swimmers should have followed the example of the Final Five on how to represent yourself at an Olympics. 

Edited August 20, 2016 by windsprints

[legaleagle53]

16 minutes ago, windsprints said:

Not sure if this is in reply to my post (I posted earlier and used the term redemption) but I wasn't talking about being redeemed in the swimming world. I have no idea how the organization who governs swimming competitions generally handles controversies. I was responding to posts about whether or not Lochte would be fine, be able to earn money, etc.  The redemption I was talking about was his image as a whole to the American public, many of which do not follow swimming all that closely.  Could he be someone American will cheer for on DWTS? Have a reality show? Possibly appear in commercials again at some point?  I maintain that it is possible.

Re the part in bold:  He's already been there and done that.  It lasted all of about five weeks and was canceled more than three years ago.

[Kromm]

2 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

That's why I felt I had to bring up the hypocrisy. There isn't a fucking LAW that says what you have to do during the anthem. 

Well actually yes, there IS a law. The United States Flag Code.  Like it or not, it is a Federal law passed by Congress and signed by a President.  It dates from the 1920s. 

Quote

UNITED STATES CODE TITLE 36

§170. National anthem; Star-Spangled Banner

The composition consisting of the words and music known as The Star-Spangled Banner is designated the national anthem of the United States of America.

§171. Conduct during playing

During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should render the military salute at the first note of the anthem and retain this position until the last note. When the flag is not displayed, those present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed there.

Is it right this law exists?  Probably not. But a statement that there is no law is incorrect, since there is.

Of course, it wouldn't actually apply outside of the United States, on Brazilian soil, but... that's not the issue being debated here I think. This is less about loopholes and more about indoctrination, I suppose. If you were for example to tell kids that there is no such law or something like that (the part they'd run up against most often is §172, which is about conduct during the Pledge of Allegiance), it is probably not a good idea, since technically they'd be breaking the law if they defied the Flag Code (albeit I'd love to see some local lawman/court try and enforce it--but school principals have been known to strap on their little tin hats and suspend kids over it).

What's even funnier is that since this comes from the sexist 1920s, note that men are legally mandated to have to remove their hats and hold it above the heart, whereas women apparently (too many hatpins expected?) just have to do the hand on heart part.

So yeah, it is ridiculous no matter what.

Edited August 21, 2016 by Kromm

[BlackberryJam]

So...I just watched that 30 for 30, 9.79* 

Carl Lewis and his agent/coach come off so so poorly in that. And it seems justifiably so. Ben Johnson is resigned to his fate.

Then, I caught a Deadline article about the Lochte/Lauer interview. Apparently, Ryan says he "over exaggerated." Is if there is some level of exaggeration about this incident that would have been acceptable. *sigh*

[Matt K]

17 minutes ago, Kromm said:

Well actually yes, there IS a law. The United States Flag Code.  Like it or not, it is a Federal law passed by Congress and signed by a President.  It dates from the 1920s. 

Is it right this law exists?  Probably not. But a statement that there is no law is incorrect, since there is.

Of course, it wouldn't actually apply outside of the United States, on Brazilian soil, but... that's not the issue being debated here I think. This is less about loopholes and more about indoctrination, I suppose. If you were for example to tell kids that there is no such law or something like that (the one they'd run up against is §172, which is about the Pledge of Allegiance), it is probably not a good idea, since technically they'd be breaking the law if they defied the Flag Code (albeit I'd love to see some local lawman/court try and enforce it).

Actually it say "should" not "must" (which if it was "must" would probably violate the first amendment) so no one has to "stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart", it's just encouraged.  So I don't see the problem here.  And I do think part of the issue is due to it being Gabby.  That said, thanks for pointing this out, I've never seen this before.

[Mittengirl]

Well, something similar to the Lochte Fiasco happened in 1988 and the fact that it hasn't been brought up shows it is possible that the public will forget all about this.  http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/25/sports/the-seoul-olympics-us-swimmers-arrested.html

[pennben]

20 minutes ago, Kromm said:

Well actually yes, there IS a law. The United States Flag Code..... since technically they'd be breaking the law if they defied the Flag Code (albeit I'd love to see some local lawman/court try and enforce it--but school principals have been known to strap on their little tin hats and suspend kids over it).

So yeah, it is ridiculous no matter what.

It is ridiculous, not as ridiculous as Ryan Lochte, but ridiculous nonetheless.  First, there's no enforcement provisions for that particular law, so it's toothless to begin with and at best can be described as "guidance".  Second, any type of enforcement by a governmental entity would be a First Amendment violation and shot down immediately.

In my mind, when I saw the other athletes standing as Gabby did, I took it as a sign of support of her by them (who knows whether it was or not).  And that to me, is a more effective display of American 'values' (standing up for teammate/countryman), if you will, than a rote-without-thinking requirement to put one's hand over one's heart.

[Kromm]

Just now, pennben said:

It is ridiculous, not as ridiculous as Ryan Lochte, but ridiculous nonetheless.  First, there's no enforcement provisions for that particular law, so it's toothless to begin with and at best can be described as "guidance".  Second, any type of enforcement by a governmental entity would be a First Amendment violation and shot down immediately.

Yes, looking at the whole code it is noticeable that unlike almost every other law there is no section for enforcement. 

So I guess its more about a basis for shaming people if they don't follow it versus what any lawman or judge could do.

I do recall quite prominently that it has come to a head in schools a few times, but I don't know if lawsuits followed or not and if a higher court ever ruled on it.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, tanyak said:

Lawd y'all. Ryan has done a sit-in with Matt Lauer. It's airing tonight and on Today on Monday but they showed a snippet at the start of NBC News. He still can't come out and say they weren't robbed. He looked so uncomfortable, as he should. We're heading out to a ball game, but I'm DVRing the prime time coverage, so I'll see it later. 

Oh, he's brunette again. 

Yep, he has gotten rid of the fugly hair color but the fugliness that goes down to the bone remains.  He still nattered on about being forced to surrender cash at gunpoint (robbery, in other words).  Even when Lauer stepped in and pointed out that no money was exchanged until after the bilingual customer stepped in and explained that their choice was between paying for the damages they caused or waiting for the police to arrive and sort it out; Lochte still tried to play the victim card. It took Matt Lauer to spell it out; that he knew good and well the whole time that it was a transaction and not a robbery; that they were paying for the damages they caused in exchange for not getting the police involved  and that they all understood that from the start that Lochte halfheartedly admitted it.  He also admitted that none of the damages were made by the two guys (both college students and therefore, amateurs) who were the ones who came up with the cash.  I hope, at the very least, he gave them their money back.  And, yes, he admitted to 'overexaggerating' the circumstances which is apparently Lochtespeak for lying.

A lengthier version of the interview is supposed to air during primetime tonight but I doubt it's going to help Lochte.  He needs to shut up and go away.

Edited August 21, 2016 by doodlebug

[selkie]

Head of Australian delegation apologizes to athletes detained over seating snafu:

http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1040821/australian-olympic-committee-defend-athletes-fined-by-brazilian-police-for-sitting-in-wrong-seats-at-basketball-match

Quote

“The athletes were held at a police station for many hours and I apologise for the trauma they went through, the problem with the accreditation was not their fault” said Chiller, who met with those involved along with AOC chief executive Fiona de Jong today.

"For legal reasons I am not in a position to elaborate except to say it is important to know that the Australian athletes were definitely not at fault. 

"I am very disappointed our athletes had to go through what then went through last night."

[MaryMitch]

Well, speak of the devil - just saw the 4x100 women's gold medal ceremony. 1 woman put her hand over her heart, 2 had their arms by their sides, and one was holding that little trinket they give the medalists.  Wonder what Twitter will have to say about that?

[xaxat]

For all of the criticism Rio has received about how they handled Lochte and co. those guys should be grateful they didn't pull that stunt in a US state with a Stand Your Ground law.

[kokapetl]

36 minutes ago, selkie said:

Head of Australian delegation apologizes to athletes detained over seating snafu:

http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1040821/australian-olympic-committee-defend-athletes-fined-by-brazilian-police-for-sitting-in-wrong-seats-at-basketball-match

I wonder what exactly this false accreditation consisted of. 

[jjj]

47 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Well, something similar to the Lochte Fiasco happened in 1988 and the fact that it hasn't been brought up shows it is possible that the public will forget all about this.  http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/25/sports/the-seoul-olympics-us-swimmers-arrested.html

It certainly has been brought up in the news about this over the past few days -- CNN, NBC, USA Today, many online news reports, etc.  That is the point -- this does not go away.  I'm sure those 1988 swimmers are glad someone else has finally become the new poster face for misbehaving at the Olympics.  And they did not try to blame Korea, which is the layer that makes Lochte's situation so much more problematic.  

Edited August 21, 2016 by jjj

[doodlebug]

4 minutes ago, jjj said:

It certainly has been brought up in the news about this over the past few days -- CNN, NBC, USA Today, many online news reports, etc.  That is the point -- this does not go away.  I'm sure those 1988 swimmers are glad someone else has finally become the new poster face for misbehaving at the Olympics.  And they did not try to blame Korea, which is the layer that makes Lochte's situation so much more problematic.  

They didn't lie about what happened either, nor did they try to play the victim.  The act of vandalism is bad enough; the stuff that came afterwards is inexcusable.

[kili]

Quote

Well, speak of the devil - just saw the 4x100 women's gold medal ceremony. 1 woman put her hand over her heart, 2 had their arms by their sides, and one was holding that little trinket they give the medalists.  Wonder what Twitter will have to say about that?

Isn't it likely that after all the broo-ha-ha over the first medal ceremony (the complaints followed by counter complaints followed by endless debate about anthem etiquette followed by Gabby saying she was twitter bullied followed by twitter shaming of the shamers) that nobody wants to complain about it anymore?

[windsprints]

Nevermind, done talking about it.

Edited August 21, 2016 by windsprints

[pennben]

Here's an article about Troy Dalbey (part of the 1988 mess) that I read a couple of days ago and meant to post here.  He offers how the mess changed him and offers his hope that the at-least-close-to "kids" catch somewhat of a break since this seems to be a Lochte-driven fiasco.

[briochetwist]

I really don't know what all the back and forth is about. He lied. That's what it boils down to. Ryan Lochte lied and put his teammates in an incredibly awkward position. On top of that he made himself out to be the strong one, the hero, while his scared teammates hit the deck, then he hightailed it the fuck out of town, leaving them to deal with the mess. Then, when they're in custody, being hauled off of planes and being interrogated, he's back home giving more interviews, continuing to lie, and just basically stirring shit up causing even more difficulty for the others. He lied. The end.

[sandrajane]

2 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

Then, I caught a Deadline article about the Lochte/Lauer interview. Apparently, Ryan says he "over exaggerated." Is if there is some level of exaggeration about this incident that would have been acceptable. *sigh*

That's right up there with Roger Clemems and his misremembered comment.

[maraleia]

2 hours ago, Kromm said:

Well actually yes, there IS a law. The United States Flag Code.  Like it or not, it is a Federal law passed by Congress and signed by a President.  It dates from the 1920s. 

Is it right this law exists?  Probably not. But a statement that there is no law is incorrect, since there is.

Of course, it wouldn't actually apply outside of the United States, on Brazilian soil, but... that's not the issue being debated here I think. This is less about loopholes and more about indoctrination, I suppose. If you were for example to tell kids that there is no such law or something like that (the part they'd run up against most often is §172, which is about conduct during the Pledge of Allegiance), it is probably not a good idea, since technically they'd be breaking the law if they defied the Flag Code (albeit I'd love to see some local lawman/court try and enforce it--but school principals have been known to strap on their little tin hats and suspend kids over it).

What's even funnier is that since this comes from the sexist 1920s, note that men are legally mandated to have to remove their hats and hold it above the heart, whereas women apparently (too many hatpins expected?) just have to do the hand on heart part.

So yeah, it is ridiculous no matter what.

It's a code not a law that has to be followed. There's a difference.

[Mittengirl]

The Seoul incident has been brought up by the media, but how many viewers had any memory of it?  It certainly didn't leap to my mind until mentioned on the Internet.

Regarding the two swimmers still in college, if they are suspended by USASwimming, would that have any effect on their competing in NCAA swim meets?  And would the NCAA have any basis for punishing them?  They weren't in Rio representing whatever college(s) they attend.  And, if I understand correctly, they were never charged with anything.  Being in the company of a fool isn't a crime, to the best of my knowledge.  Nor is witnessing a crime.

[blackwing]

Just watched the two segments of Lochte's interview with Matt Lauer.  He does appear deeply sorry for the events.  He apologised many times and said he was embarrassed and said he has learned his lesson.  He seemed genuine, and most of the time it seemed like he was about to cry.  He was sniffling a lot throughout.   He admits the drunkenness and says that he says what he said to Billy Bush because he was still drunk.

He realises that there could be repercussions from USA Swimming but he wants to continue in the sport and hopes they give him a chance.   He seemed very sincere.  I guess time will tell whether he really does turn over a new leaf and starts acting like a 32 year old man instead of an 18 year old away from home for the first time.

[jjj]

9 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

The Seoul incident has been brought up by the media, but how many viewers had any memory of it?  It certainly didn't leap to my mind until mentioned on the Internet.

What you said is that the 1988 incident "had not been brought up" -- and it certainly had.  Now you are focusing on the media.  The big difference, the HUGE difference, is that now the "media" includes massive social media, and this will be remembered for sure.  in 1988, there was no 24-hour social media  on steroids and constant cable news cycle driving all the news and commentary.  (There was CNN, but it did not have the Olympics franchise.)  1988 had some articles, but they did not drag on for days, and the mainstream news reporting that did not reveal layer after layer of deception each day.  This will become a meme and trope about Lochte in virtual spaces we did not even dream about in 1988. 

Plus,this is much worse, because Lochte lied (see quote below), stranded his teammates after he KNEW he had lied, and continued to lie.  And he is 32 years old, not a college student. 

1 hour ago, briochetwist said:

I really don't know what all the back and forth is about. He lied. That's what it boils down to. Ryan Lochte lied and put his teammates in an incredibly awkward position. On top of that he made himself out to be the strong one, the hero, while his scared teammates hit the deck, then he hightailed it the fuck out of town, leaving them to deal with the mess. Then, when they're in custody, being hauled off of planes and being interrogated, he's back home giving more interviews, continuing to lie, and just basically stirring shit up causing even more difficulty for the others. He lied. The end.

Edited August 21, 2016 by jjj

[Arynm]

What I learned from this interview was that Jimmy Feigen really did lie to the police, not just a " language barrier" issue or anything else that could be spun. He said he was asleep in the cab the entire time and didn't see anything. Because of that , I'm not sure Lochte owes him a thing. He wasn't covering for Lochte he was covering his own ass. Which is fine, but he still lied to the Police. Is Lochte supposed to pay anything or are the Police just chalking this one up to stupidity not lying. I think he really is sorry and my heart went out for him. I must be a soft touch. I do believe he deserves whatever punishment is meted out . US  swimming has to make sure this kind of stuff never happens again

[KenyaJ]

I don't know what PR/crisis management team coached Ryan Lochte, but they did an awful job. He couldn't have sounded less genuine or contrite if he tried, and the jackass still can't admit he lied. No, Ryan, you didn't exaggerate, you lied. And he used the word "immature" 500 times so we'd all ignore the fact that he's a grown 32 year old man. He's getting raked over the coals on my Twitter TL. I'm glad so many people see right through his bullshit.

[Dots And Stripes]

25 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Regarding the two swimmers still in college, if they are suspended by USASwimming, would that have any effect on their competing in NCAA swim meets?  And would the NCAA have any basis for punishing them?  They weren't in Rio representing whatever college(s) they attend.  And, if I understand correctly, they were never charged with anything.  Being in the company of a fool isn't a crime, to the best of my knowledge.  Nor is witnessing a crime.

I imagine they have to worry about more than just criminality. The USASwimming code of conduct is likely stricter than just "don't break the law." Didn't they also urinate outside of the bathroom? They apparently all behaved foolishly on a night out. The younger ones may not have lied to cops or started an international incident, but their conduct was still likely below what would be expected of an athlete repressing their country abroad.

Lochte should definitely be suspended from swimming. Again, this all happened while he was supposed to be repressing his country abroad. He should also spend a lot of time volunteering to mentor kids or finding whatever other charitable endeavor he likes. Saying "I've learned my lesson" should be backed up by something.

I don't read too much into his word choices with Lauer. Clearly he was coached for this and he knows to stick to the lines. He just doesn't have the ability to match wits with Lauer or think on his feet (that was all too obvious days ago). One thing I disagreed with Lauer on is him repeatedly saying it was just a negotiation. Maybe, but the presences of a drawn gun does change it a bit. Lochte clearly was unfair in his characterization but this wasn't exactly a normal settlement agreement either. 

Edited August 21, 2016 by Dots And Stripes
Clarifying

[selkie]

The NCAA has historically not really cared about disciplinary matters between an athlete and their federation that occurred outside a university's program and scope. Heck, until Let's Run shamed them a few years back, they let athletes who were under WADA doping ban compete for a member school.

[Mittengirl]

I don't follow swimming other than at the Olympics, so other than a suspension that would last through 2020, what would a shorter suspension do to Lochte?  How many meets would he miss and would that really kill his career?  Wasnt Anthony Ervin effectively out of the sport for over 10 years?

[Shaynaa]

I'm watching the interview now and Lochte can't say whether or not he was robbed.  Lauer has to explain to him what a robbery is.  Ryan said he told the gun to his forehead story to Billy Bush because...he was still drunk. Wow.

[OSM Mom]

And he says "over exaggerated" a lot too.  It's called lying.  Dumbass. 

[Shaynaa]

He kept going on about this all being about one stupid, drunken night.  No.  He kept lying all week to many people and he really doesn't seem to get that is the biggest problem here.  If he had just told the truth to begin with or whenever he actually sobered up people would be a lot more understanding.  He didn't even apologize to people of Rio until Lauer directly asked him about it.  This interview does not make him look good at all.

[pennben]

I would love if we had a public relations person here that could comment on this interview; both from a perspective of (a) lordy, lots of buzzwords there Ryan and (b) serious, stern Matt to rehab him and the network for not challenging (or reporting/digging into his story) before giving him basically the full endorsement of the network to spin his nonsense all last week. 

Seriously, not a massive crime (and something all sides should have let go of once the swimmers left the station), but the interplay of the media is always fascinating to me.

Edited August 21, 2016 by pennben

[blackwing]

I guess I am surprising myself.  I never thought of myself as a softie but I am a firm believer in second chances.  I thought he seemed genuinely sorry.  

We touched on it a little in this thread earlier, but both Phelps and Lochte have now had bad moments.  Phelps had his bong photo and two DUIs.  Lochte has this.  Neither affected competition.  Phelps' DUI broke U.S. law and US Swimming suspended him for 6 months.  Lochte's incident was out of US jurisdiction but might possibly have broken Brazilian laws and created a lot of negative attention to the USOC.

Whatever happens, I hope it is fair.  And even though Lochte appears to be the ringleader because of his more well known status, if there is going to be any punishment by US Swimming, it should affect all 4 swimmers.  Because the other three could have come forward immediately and said that wasn't accurate.

I still stand by my statement that I think having a gun drawn on you because you tore down a poster is a bit excessive.