2016 Rio Olympics: Ryan Lochte, US swimmers paid for gas station damages with cash

Ryan Lochte and a group of United States swimmers trashed a gas station in Brazil and paid for the damages in cash.

The Ryan Lochte situation has become weirder and more complex than anyone could have foreseen. It started when Lochte said that swimmers Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen and he were robbed in Rio. The IOC immediately denied the claim. Lochte later went onto NBC and confirmed that he had been robbed.

As more details have emerged, it has become fairly clear that Lochte fabricated the robbery story. But why would he do something like that? Now, it seems, we have an answer.

Lochte and that group of swimmers were caught on video wrecking havoc at a gas station and fighting with a security guard. Don’t worry, though — Lochte and the swimmers paid for the damages in cash.

This could be very damaging to Lochte’s reputation. He fabricated a story about being the victim of a crime and has now been caught on video causing damage to a gas station. Lochte took advantage of the crime in Rio during the Olympics to try and make himself look better. Imagine if a group of Brazilians came to the United States and did the same thing. The reaction would not be kind.

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Lochte has won 12 Olympic medals, including six golds. Four of those gold medals have come in the 4×200 meter freestyle event. He is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the Summer Olympics. Lochte has also won two silvers and a bronze in the individual 200 meter medley.

It remains to be seen how his transgressions in Rio will affect his legacy. While it sure won’t affect how he is viewed as an athlete, he could lose sponsors and his reputation will likely take a hit. That will likely also be the case for Bentz, Conger and Feigen. This is a very confusing situation and it all could have been prevented quite easily.