Three lifestyle brands have cut ties with US Olympic swimmer #RyanLochte after he and his teammates lied about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio de Janeiro last week.
The swimmer eventually issued a public apology, stating how he “should have been much more responsible for how [he] handled [himself],” even though he later tried to justify “over- exaggerating” his story on alcohol in an interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer. It doesn’t appear that any of it was enough, because so far, Ralph Lauren, Syneron-Candela and Speedo have ended sponsorships and Speedo has even elected to donate a portion of Lochte’s coins to charity!
In a statement released on Twitter, the company writes, “While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for.” They will be donating $50,000 to Save The Children which is a charity that helps children in Brazil.
There is no word on whether or not any other companies plan to end their relationships with Lochte, but we hope he’s learned his lesson!
TSR STAFF: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on Instagram & @tallyohhh on Twitter!
Source: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/sports/olympics/speedo-drops-ryan-lochte-as-rio-fallout-continues.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0&referer=
