DISGRACED SWIMMER SUSPENDED FOR TEN MONTHS

US swimmer Ryan Lochte will be suspended
from his sport for 10 months and will not be
allowed to participate in the 2017 world
championship meet as a result of his
involvement in a gas station incident in Rio de
Janeiro during the Olympics, a person with
knowledge of the situation told CNN contributor
Christine Brennan on Wednesday.
That means the 12-time Olympic medalist will
not compete in another world championship until
summer 2019. He turns 35 on August 3 that
year.
The other three swimmers involved in the
episode -- Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and James
Feigen -- also face suspensions but not as long
as Lochte's, the person, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity because the decision has
not been announced publicly, told Brennan.
A joint announcement on the suspensions by the
United States Olympic Committee and US
Swimming, the national governing body for the
sport, is expected Thursday, the person said.
On Wednesday, the USOC told CNN it had
nothing to report. US Swimming did not respond
to CNN's request for comment.
The gas-station episode, and Lochte's
"exaggerated" description of it later to
newscasters, created an international hubbub
and an embarrassment for Olympic officials.
Lochte, 32, initially said he and three other
swimmers were the victims of a dramatic
robbery when returning by taxi from a late-night
party. He later backtracked after a police
investigation found the swimmers were stopped
by security guards at a gas station after
committing an act of vandalism and paid
approximately $50 in damages.
Bentz, Conger and Feigen have since publicly
shared their version of the events with stories
that differ from Lochte's original tale and
essentially match surveillance video released by
Brazilian police.
Lochte has apologized for poor behavior at the
Rio gas station on the morning of August 14.
The group had stopped there to use the
bathroom and, finding the door locked, urinated
behind the building, during which time Lochte
reputedly tore down a framed poster from the
building's wall.
Brazilian authorities have since charged Lochte
with falsely reporting a crime, which could bring
a fine or up to six months in jail. When his court
hearing comes up, Lochte can opt to send a
lawyer on his behalf and does not need to
appear in court in Rio.
The police investigation began after Lochte had
returned to the United States. The three other
swimmers were blocked from leaving Brazil and
one, Feigen, faced a Brazilian judge for his
statements to police regarding the gas station
incident.
He agreed to pay $10,800 to a charity to settle
the case. Brazilian authorities brought no
charges against Bentz or Conger.
Lochte has since taken responsibility publicly,
saying the international Olympic scandal was his
fault and caused by his "immature behavior."
"I over-exaggerated that story and if I had never
done that we wouldn't be in this mess," he told
NBC's Matt Lauer.
Lauer asked Lochte about using the word
"victims" in a prior interview, when police have
said the swimmers were vandals.
"It's how you want to make it look like," Lochte
responded. "Whether you call it a robbery or
whether you call it extortion or us paying just for
the damages. We don't know. All we know is
there was a gun pointed in our direction and we
were demanded to give money."
The swimmer's sponsorship deals have taken a
hit since the incident, with Speedo, Polo Ralph
Lauren, Gentle Hair Removal and mattress maker
Airweave all saying they would be cutting ties
with Lochte after the international incident.
However, he has gained new sponsorships from
Pine Bros. cough drops and Robocopp, a crime
prevention device maker.
"Just as Pine Bros. is forgiving to your throat,
the company asks [the] public for a little
forgiveness for an American swimming legend,"
the company said in a statement.
He also scored a slot on Season 23 of ABC's
"Dancing With the Stars."


Source :cnn
Edited by DANIEL IKECHUKWU EKWUNIFE