Ryan Lochte apologizes via Instagram for Rio robbery scandal

Gold medal-winning U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte has apologized for his behavior at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro last weekend, when he and several other American swimmers alleged they had been robbed at gunpoint.

"It is 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," Lochte wrote in an apology note on Instagram:

Lochte originally told media that he and three teammates had been robbed at gunpoint during a taxi ride back to the Olympic compound, but security footage from a gas station undermined that claim, showing the four being detained by armed security guards until they paid for damaging a bathroom door. USA Today's Christine Brennan reported Friday that Lochte's membership on the U.S. swim team was contingent upon his apology, and that a decision as to whether Lochte will be banned for life from USA Swimming could come after the end of the Rio Olympics, which close Sunday.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Lochte's U.S. teammate Jimmy Feigen agreed to pay $10,800 to a Brazilian charity to avoid prosecution. The other two swimmers, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, were reportedly allowed to return to the U.S. after giving "revised" statements to Rio police about what occurred that night. Police reportedly have considered charges of vandalism and giving a false statement.