U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is in the center of a controversy after claiming that he was robbed in Brazil during Rio Olympics 2016. When local police found discrepancies to his claims, it was finally revealed that he lied about what really transpired. He also apparently lied to his own mother, Ileana Lochte.
The Daily Beast reports that Ileana Lochte spoke with the press to give an account of what she thought happened to Ryan. She was made to believe that the incident has shaken her son -- as her son told her. But when the police officially investigated, then Ryan Lochte's story started falling apart.
The Guardian points out that the Olympian might have hidden the truth from his mother to spare her the heartbreak of what he's been supposedly doing at the Rio Olympics 2016. New York Magazine reports that Ryan Lochte and the other three U.S. swimmers with him -- Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen and Gunnar Bentz -- were apparently vandalizing a gas station bathroom stall and had a scuffle with security.
In their first story, they stated that they were accosted by men who were allegedly wearing police uniforms, only these men robbed them. They were using the bathroom for a quick detour after attending a party.
https://t.co/n82dZH2gfl pic.twitter.com/rGp1nmA94G
— Ryan Lochte (@RyanLochte) August 19, 2016
American media got wind of what happened after Ryan Lochte's mother informed Fox Sports of the incident. It was only then that local authorities started investigating the "robbery." Security footage from the site revealed Ryan Lochte and company might have botched their claims.
On Saturday night, Ryan Lochte apologized for the incident via an exclusive one-on-one with Matt Lauer on NBC. The swimmer admitted he exaggerated the claims about the robbery because he was intoxicated, per People.
In a previous interview with ABC before the Rio Olympics 2016, Ileana spoke proudly about her son. She doted on him and made a lot of sacrifices. She shared that they have a mother-son tradition where she packs something special for Ryan for the Olympics, which started when the swimmer was training as a kid.
Ryan Lochte has won 12 medals since joining the Olympics in 2004. He earned numerous deals and endorsements at the height of his success, including starring in his own reality TV series.
