Twelve-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte has been suspended by the United States Olympic Committee and USA Swimming for triggering a minor international incident after a night of drunken debauchery in Rio, according to reports from ESPN and TMZ. Locate will reportedly miss the 2017 world Championships as part of the suspension.
As you’ll recall, Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers—Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen—drunkenly vandalized a gas station following a party the night of swimming’s final event at the Rio Summer Games. The whole thing likely would’ve gone unnoticed had Lochte not told his mother he’d been robbed at gunpoint. His mom, of course, repeated the story to a reporter, and Lochte went on to lie during an interview on The Today Show.
After the story unraveled, two of the swimmers—Conger and Bentz—were pulled of a U.S.-bound plane, and a third—Feigen—was forced to pay a $10,800 fine before was allowed leave Brazil. Lochte, who’d already left Brazil by the time his lie was exposed, lost four endorsements, though he was signed to compete in the new season of Dancing With the Stars.
As TMZ notes, Lochte’s suspension is four months longer than the one Michael Phelps received after his second DUI in 2014.
UPDATE: From ESPN:
Lochte will also not receive the $25,000 bonus the USOC awards to Olympic gold medalists (Lochte was part of the 4×200 relay that won gold in Rio) and will not be eligible for his monthly USA Swimming stipend of $3,250 during the suspension.
Lochte will also have to serve 20 hours of community service. Bentz, Conger, and Feigen were each suspended for four months, and Bentz will have to serve 10 hours of community service for violating the curfew for swimmers under 21.
Posted By: Taylor Berman
