Ryan Lochte charged with filing a false police report

 A not exactly “heart-warming” Olympic story just continues to get weirder for US swimmer Ryan Lochte.

Nobody likes this Ryan Lochte story. It started as yet another tale that people were using to tear down Brazil as a poor choice for the host of the 2016 Olympics. It morphed into a story about the entitlement of athletes and Americans in general.

And now, it has come full circle:

Per USA Today, Lochte will not travel back to Brazil to face the charges but rather deal with them here in the USA. Lochte can defend himself how he likes and then the ethics commission of the IOC will receive a copy of the decision. Their actions from there will determine Lochte’s potential future in Olympic swimming.

Realistically however, Lochte does not have a future in Olympic swimming. At age 32, he was incredibly unlikely to participate in any future games. His only medal in Rio was in a Men’s relay; he is not exactly the best of the best.

If anything, this will simply prolong his exposure to the public eye, which is not exactly a bad thing for someone who wasn’t exactly a household name before this incident occurred.

Next: 30 Olympic athletes who have dominated their events

Truth be told, Lochte brought this on himself. Police and prosecutors have a responsibility to charge those who abuse their resources with a crime. Serious repercussions occurring as a direct result of this charge are unlikely, but a well-deserved slap on the wrist might, at the very least, discourage a similar event in the future. That might be the best outcome for everyone.