US Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte has agreed to a 10-month suspension following their coverup story about being robbed in Rio de Janeiro last month.
According to USA Today, Lochte, will also be ineligible for the 2017 world championship meet, and will have to give up all the coins he acquired from winning the gold during the men’s 4×200 freestyle relay in this year’s Olympic Games. The swimmer will also not be receiving any type of stipends, or access to the United States Olympic Committee training facilities during his suspension.
His lawyer, Jeff Ostrow speaks on behalf of Lochte and says that he accepts his punishment, however he feels that the punishment is a bit harsh for his client since he technically did not commit a crime.
“That said, in my opinion, while the collective sanctions appear to be harsh when considering what actually happened that day – Ryan did not commit a crime, he did not put the public safety at risk, and he did not cheat in his sport – we will leave it to others to evaluate the appropriateness of the penalties.”
The point is that they brought shame to the United States Olympic Committee, and the organization’s CEO, Scott Blackmun explains this in a statement.
“As we have said previously, the behavior of these athletes was not acceptable. It unfairly maligned our hosts and diverted attention away from the historic achievements of Team USA. Each of the athletes has accepted responsibility for his actions and accepted the appropriate sanctions. We look forward to focusing our energy on the Paralympic Games and the incredible men and women representing our country in Rio.”
Lochte’s teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen will only be suspended from domestic and international USA Swimming national competitions for four months, and they, too, will not be receiving any stipends or access to USOC training facilities.
I guess Lochte will have to milk Dancing With the Stars for all he can, because that coin may be short for the next 10 months!
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Via: USA Today
