U.S. says sorry as swimmers leave Brazil to jeers

[OBenario]

Source: Reuters

Two U.S. Olympic swimmers flew home from Brazil on Thursday after a local crowd jeered them, calling them "liars" and "fakes", and police accused them of fabricating a story about being robbed at gunpoint during the Rio Games.

Their departure marked what the U.S. Olympic team hopes will be the closing stages of an incident that has embarrassed the host city, angered the police and government, unleashed a storm on social media, and dominated news coverage of South America's first Olympics.

The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) issued an apology after the departure of Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, who were among four U.S. swimmers shown to have lied about being stopped by gunmen posing as police in the early hours of Sunday.

"We apologize to our hosts in Rio and the people of Brazil for this distracting ordeal in the midst of what should rightly be a celebration of excellence," USOC chief Scott Blackmun said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-lochte-police-idUSKCN10T07K

[bluestateguy]

1. Disgusting

nt

[Judi Lynn]

2. Too bad they didn't get a swift kick from behind before they left. Ugly US Americans. n/t

[msongs]

10. ugly US Americans. well at least they are better than castro nt

[Judi Lynn]

11. Odd comment. Quite the non sequitur. n/t

[still_one]

14. I am not sure what Castro has to do with this. If the story is true, the athletes behaved very

badly in the host country

There is a reason the US Olympic Committee apologized. Because they were an embarrassment to the U.S. Olympic team by their actions.

Frankly, I believe they should be banned from participating in future Olympics

[backscatter712]

3. That is embarassing.

[Chakab]

4. Almost as embarrassing as the DUers who are still insisting that

there's some sort of conspiracy by the Brazilian legal establishment to frame these idiots.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Hard to believe anyone could get so whipped up about defending amoral, egotistical brats

who feel there's absolutely no reason to act respectfully toward anyone who doesn't prostrate himself at their feet.

[Chakab]

9. I don't get it either. Even after the USOC issued a formal apology there

were still people here claiming that the CCTV footage was deceptively edited.

...and don't get me started on the nonsensical comparisons to the Amanda Knox ordeal.

[Judi Lynn]

12. Makes you wonder what kind of people they are who go berserk if something goes wrong

for any U.S. American vs. any person from another country.

That's a special kind of insanity, I'm sure.

Or mere nasty chauvinism.

[still_one]

16. I hope the U.S. Olympic Committee bans them from future Olympics. We will see what happens when the

come back to the states. I would hope they express regret and remorse for their actions.

[chillfactor]

5. they should have been honored to be part of the Olympic swim team....

instead they took it upon themselves to dishonor their country, the Olympic flame, and themselves. How disgusting they are.

[trueblue2007]

7. i think they should be stripped of their medals

[still_one]

17. I don't think they can do that, though I understand the sentiment, but I do think they should be

banned from participating in future Olympics

[forgotmylogin]

25. Agreed with future ban.

If you can't behave at the party and urinate on the host's carpet, you don't get brought back.

Although Lochte probably wasn't coming back anyway. He's too old for this (and frankly should know better.) Unfortunately conventionally attractive people tend to get breaks other people don't. Hopefully media will blacklist him.

[Judi Lynn]

8. They think being U.S. Americans gives them the right to trash a service station,

invent vicious lies about the people who attempted to make them be responsible for their destructiveness.

They, like all mentally impaired, self-obsessed right-wingers, feel the world was made especially for them, they are the KINGS of the world, everyone must bow at their feet, and god help anyone who expects them to not do everything they damned well want.

It's long past time the human race got to take a vacation from these oversized babies. They have no value in the real world. The world could live happily ever after without the Olympics, and every other egocentric undertaking, including war.

On edit:

One more thing, when people I know have to use restrooms at service stations after discovering the door is locked, they go to ask the manager for the key. I'm really curious about how the eldest of these swimmers made it to 32 years old without learning that simply task!

[oberliner]

15. Are Conger and Bentz accused of doing that?

Or just Lochte and Feigen?

According to the statement, only one of the swimmers committed an act of vandalism and only two of the four gave false statements to the police.

Conger and Bentz do not appear to have been accused of any wrongdoing, and they gave truthful statements about what took place.

[suffragette]

31. Clearly a difference in response to Lochte and Feigen vs Conger and Bentz

And deservedly so.

Conger and Bentz testified truthfully while Lochte and Feigen kept lying, even contacting meda to do so.

I wonder if the women with them also were questioned and what they said. Not much about them being reported.


https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/19/us-olympian-jimmy-feigen-charity-donation-rio-robbery-claims

Police and the station’s owner said the Americans damaged an advertising sign, and that two women were with the men but stayed in a taxi that was parked behind their cab.

[oberliner]

32. The post I responded to appeared to be addressed at all four swimmers

I agree with your take that Lochte and Feigen are the ones deserving of scorn, not necessarily the other two based on what I've read thus far.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

13. Should have tossed Trump wigs at them.

[whistler162]

18. Good news and bad news.....

good news- The Olympic committees for ecvery country now have a highly visible example of why curfews are good when at the games.

bad news - Lochte literally pissed away millions in endorsements for < 1 hour of bad behavior!

[bulloney]

19. Lochte comes across as a diva, having starred in a reality show and having a prior record.

People like that get so full of themselves they think there are rules for the majority of us, while they can just do what they please and think they can just lie and get away with crap.

[BlueMTexpat]

20. He sounds exactly like Trump. eom

[Blandocyte]

21. But better than Castro

as noted upthread.

[BlueMTexpat]

30. I didn't quite understand that.

[forgotmylogin]

26. He better keep working out.

Conventionally attractive people always get breaks. The media should blacklist him though. There's always porn.

[redstatebluegirl]

29. He has spent his career in Phelps' shadow trying to get attention.

I guess he finally got some.

[LittleGirl]

22. Karma will pay them back

disgusting that they represent the US.
WTF is wrong with them? gawd, don't we have enough embarrassment to deal with from Trump?

[IronLionZion]

23. Good that Michael Phelps was not part of that group

Lochte should win a medal for being such a d-bag.

[liberal N proud]

24. This is why I have no heroes

Everyone is flawed and the bigger someone gets, the bigger they fall.

[Else You Are Mad]

28. I rarely find sport stars to be hero worthy.

Same with movie stars, musicians. Etc. Without more, just because someone is famous and the best at what they do does not make them a hero.

[Sunlei]

27. the lie he told his Mom cost him $11,000 plus whatever cash they paid 'security police' at station.