Olympics: Ryan Lochte apologizes for role in robbery situation

The statement posted on Facebook said that the decision was made in a court appearance to answer police accusations that Feigen and fellow swimmer Ryan Lochte had made false claims that they were robbed.

A police source said Feigen’s passport would be released once he made the payment and presented a receipt to authorities.

“There has already been too much said and too many valuable resources dedicated to what happened last weekend, so I hope we spend our time celebrating the great stories and performance of these Games and look ahead to celebrating future successes”, he wrote.

In revised testimony that news site G1 had access to, Bentz and Conger said they were not robbed.

This whole saga began early Sunday morning in Rio, when Lochte claimed that he and his three U.S. swimming teammates – Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and James Feigen – were robbed at gunpoint, with Ryan specifically alleging that he had a cocked gun placed to his forehead.

Lochte issued an apology on Friday and Feigen agreed to pay 35,000 reais ($11,000) to a charity. Police had pulled them off a flight on Wednesday night for further questioning. “So if I go out all night and I’m dancing or I’m drinking, you know what, I still have a job to do, I still have a goal to do, and that’s the 2016 Olympics”, Lochte said to WTXF.

Feigen did not join Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger when they left Thursday night because he was ordered to donate nearly $11,000 to a local sports charity before charges against him would be dropped.

A Brazilian judge provided another twist to the saga of four USA swimmers embroiled in a scandal at the Rio Games, suspending permission for one of the athletes, Jimmy Feigen, to leave the country – even though he had flown home hours earlier.

Lochte had called it a gunpoint robbery; Brazilian police said he and three other swimmers vandalized a bathroom while intoxicated and were confronted by armed security guards.

Two of the athletes were taken off a plane so they could be questioned.

Late Thursday, US Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun also apologized “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”.

“If this was a Brazilian or it wasn’t the Olympics, no one would have anxious about it”, said Janete Carvalho, 54, an English teacher, said on the streets of downtown Rio. USA Swimming said it could also take possible action. Conger kept headphones on and wore a bright orange team United States of America hooded sweatshirt.