Ryan Lochte turned to Instagram on Friday to issue an
apology.
“I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend – for
not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early
morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes
fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics,” Lochte said in
the statement posted on his Instagram page. “I waited to share these
thoughts until it was confirmed that the legal situation was addressed and it
was clear that my teammates would be arriving home safely.”
After an incident at a gas station in Brazil last weekend,
Lochte told Billy Bush of “Today” and Access Hollywood an account
that has since been disputed by local authorities.
READ: Brazil Police Official Says Ryan Lochte Made Up Robbery Story
“We got pulled over in our taxi, and these guys came
out with a badge – a police badge – no lights, no nothing, just a police badge.
They pulled us over, they pulled out their guns,” he told Bush last
weekend.
“They told the other swimmers to get down on the
ground, they got down the ground. I refused. I was like, ‘We didn’t do anything
wrong, so, I’m not getting down on the ground.’ And then the guy pulled out his
gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead, he said, ‘Get down,’ and I was like
— I put my hands up, I was like, ‘Whatever,'” Lochte told Bush at the
time, adding that one of the men took their money and his wallet.
WATCH: Is Ryan Lochte’s Rio Robbery Story Completely Falling Apart? (Aug. 18, 2016)
On Thursday, Rio’s police chief, Fernando Veloso, said there
was no robbery.
“Right now, as we
speak, what the police can affirm — there was no robbery the way it was
reported or claimed by the athletes,” Veloso
said during a news conference (in Portuguese),
according to NBC News. “They were not victims of the criminal actions that they claimed
they were.”
In addition, on Thursday,
Globo released surveillance video footage from the gas station that appeared to
undercut the version of events Lochte told Bush.
In his statement on Friday,
Lochte continued his apology, but didn’t appear to address the specifics of the
version of events he previously shared with Bush.
WATCH: Ryan Lochte On His Plans For After The Olympics (Aug. 12, 2016)
“It’s 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 and for that [I] am sorry to my
teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors and the hosts of this
great event,” his statement continued. “I am very proud to represent
my country in Olympic competition and this was a situation that could and
should have been avoided. I accept responsibility for my role in this happening
and have learned some valuable lessons.
“I am grateful for my USA Swimming teammates and the
USOC, and appreciate all of the efforts of the IOC, the Rio ’16 Host Committee,
and the people of Brazil who welcomed us to Rio and worked so hard to make sure
that these Olympic Games provided a lifetime of great new memories,” his
statement continued.
He concluded his statement by attempting to draw attention
back to the Olympic Games.
“There has already been too much said and too many
valuable resources dedicated to what happened last weekend, so I hope we spend
our time celebrating the great stories and performances of these Games and look
ahead to celebrating future successes,” his post concluded.
— Jolie Lash
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