Ryan Lochte discusses Rio incident during Good Morning America interview
U.S Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte appeared on Good Morning America on Tuesday to explain his role in the Rio incident in which he lied about being robbed at gunpoint.
Lochte also confirmed his appearance on the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars and said he agreed to be a part of the cast before the Olympics. The new season of the show starts on Sept. 12.
Lochte originally told NBC News that he and swimming teammates Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger were pulled over in their cab by men dressed as law enforcement, and that they were robbed as they made their way back to the Olympic Village from a party.
“It was still hours after the incident. I’m not one to make excuses, but I was still intoxicated. I was still going through the emotions of having a gun pulled on me. I'm human, I made a mistake," Lochte says when asked why he lied about the incident.
He remained adamant about not causing any damage to any structure.
"There was no damage to the bathroom... I never even entered the bathroom," Lochte said. "The story about me vandalizing the bathroom is absurd. It never happened."
Feigen paid $10,800 to a charity for his role in the incident to secure the return of his passport. Lochte says he has reached out to Feigen about paying him back.
"It is my fault. I'm taking full responsibility for this. And I will pay that back," he said.
Lochte, 32, has been charged with falsely reporting a crime, but did not say if he would return to Brazil to face charges. He still faces a possible punishment from the United States Olympic Committee.
“We are trying to get this over with. It’s been dragged out way too long," he said. "The media’s taken this to a whole new level and I just want to put this behind me and move on."
Watch the full interview here.
- Scooby Axson
