Ryan Lochte and Company (aka his fellow Olympic swimming teammates) have gotten themselves into a huge heap of unnecessary mess. #Lochmess, as Twitter has claimed it, is equally as messy as it sounds. It all started when Ryan Lochte along with Jimmy Feigen, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz told the authorities and news sources that they were robbed at gunpoint upon leaving a local club. While this story sounds a bit sketchy, it is believable. It only takes one turn in the wrong part of town before the allure of a car full of rich Olympians becomes too much to resist. However, Brazilian authorities simply weren’t convinced. Perhaps it was because they initially could not find the Olympians’ taxi driver, or maybe the lack of evidence, or the strangely calm demeanor of men who supposedly were just robbed at gunpoint. Nevertheless, they had their suspicions, suspicions that would later be confirmed.
Meanwhile, as the investigation continued, Lochte fled Brazil and headed for the U.S. His teammates, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, tried to do the same but were escorted away moments before their plane took off. They were eager to leave and the authorities were eager to stop them before they could do so. As the questioning ensued, Lochte stood firm by his original statement, overly-confident and unwavering in his lies.
The climax of this scandal lies in today’s events when a source confirmed that the men were not in fact robbed but instead used this fabricated (and insulting) tale to cover their drunk escapades at a gas station. Surveillance video shows the foursome damaging a bathroom door at the rest stop and then engaging in an argument with the manager and a security guard. Allegedly, the argument was over whether or not the men would pay for the damage that they caused, either way, the cops were called but before they could arrive, the assailants were already long gone.
This altercation highlights a major flaw in the white man, who feels like they can lie (to the police of all people) and get away with it. Not only is this extremely insulting to the Brazilian Authorities who they tried to undermine, but it’s also embarrassing (or should be) for America. In a statement from the IOC regarding the events, they referred to the men as “kids” and claimed that we should give them a break because they were just having fun. Come on. Boys will be boys isn’t going to cut it this time (or any other time, really) Last time I checked, 30-year-old men are not kids, they are men that should be able to take accountability for their actions. It shouldn’t be this difficult to just tell the truth, especially when you’re in the public eye. Telling the truth is a principle we are taught at such a young age, and to pull a stunt like this is embarrassing. Whosever brilliant idea it was to try to pull off this fabricated alibi should be rather ashamed of the absolute mess they got themselves into.
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