At the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, American swimmer Ryan Lochte was an 11-time Olympic medalist who often appeared brash and downright arrogant, but who also matched such talk with epic performances in the pool. By the end of those Games, Lochte was a disgraced athlete due to his involvement in one of the most bizarre sports stories of the decade, a tale that made little sense to fans who weren't in Rio that summer.
As described by Chicago's WGN, Lochte and three of his American swimming teammates claimed that they were robbed at gunpoint during the early morning hours in Rio. Police insisted no robbery took place, and sources later confirmed that Lochte and his teammates were drunk and were accused of vandalizing a gas station bathroom. As explained by Cosmopolitan, Lochte faced criminal charges for fabricating the story, and he eventually apologized for his actions regarding the matter.
That September, the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and USA Swimming suspended Lochte for 10 months. In July 2018, he was banned for another 14 months due to receiving an intravenous injection after he posted a photo of himself with the IV on social media.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9lmxobW5fl7aos8Ssq2aroKS%2Ftb%2BMrJqappSWubR5zp9kraCVYn9xfY%2BsZg%3D%3D