Read Ryan Lochte’s Full Apology Letter

Gunnar Bentz, one of four U.S. Olympic swimmers implicated in the fabricated story of an armed robbery in Rio, has issued a statement that puts the blame squarely on Ryan Lochte for the whole mess.

Lochte’s statement, posted on Instagram, followed an apology to the games’ organizers and the people of Brazil by the U.S. Olympic Committee on Thursday night.

Lochte, along with his three teammates, initially claimed they were robbed at gunpoint by individuals posing as police officers while they were taking a taxi back to Rio’s Olympic Village from the French hospitality house on August 14, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Bentz’s claims contradict those of multiple gold-winner Lochte who had said he and his teammates were pulled over by gunmen posing as police and then robbed at gunpoint.

It emerged Lochte had already flown back to the USA while two other members of the group, Bentz and Conger, were taken off a flight in Rio on Thursday night to be questioned by police.

“I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself, and for that am sorry to my team mates”, he said.

Police have dismissed this version of events, also releasing CCTV footage that appears to undermine the story. Lochte said the gun was held to his head and he refused the assailants’ order to get on the ground – while the other three complied. The group was eventually confronted by two security guards with their guns pulled, who demanded the swimmers pay for damages.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed late Thursday night that Lochte hired top crisis publicist Matthew Hiltzik to advise him.

According to the reports, Costa said Feigen agreed to donate 35,000 Reals to Reaction Institute, a Brazilian charity.

At a news conference, Fernando Veloso, chief of civil police in Rio de Janeiro, told reporters Lochte was confrontational with security guards after they stopped him and the other swimmers after vandalizing a gas station and he was “very angry because he was intoxicated”.

On Wednesday night, after police had trouble finding evidence to support Lochte’s robbery claim, fellow Today host Matt Lauer spoke to Lochte again, with the swimmer backtracking on some elements of his story.

The 32-year-old Lochte nevertheless called the incident “traumatic”. But he didn’t fully address the allegations made by the authorities.

The publication also notes that Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes has accepted an apology from the US Olympic Committee in relation to the actions of the four swimmers.

Lochte released today (Friday) an apology after it was discovered that he fabricated a story about being robbed in order to cover up the vandalism he committed along with 3 other USA swimmers.