LochteGate

Overview

LochteGate was a scandal involving United States Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, who told a fabricated story about being robbed at gunpoint, along with several of his teammates, by armed assailants during his stay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics in August 2016.

Background

On August 14th, 2016, Lochte told his mother, Ileana Lochte, that he had been robbed at gunpoint, along with teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, by several armed assailants posing as police officers. After getting on an Olympic shuttle with Fox reporter Ben Way, Ileana Lochte mentioned that her stay in Rio had been horrible, noting that her son had been held at gunpoint earlier that morning.^[13] Immediately after the conversation, Way posted the tweet "Gold medallist Ryan Lochte has been held up at gunpoint at a party in Brazil" (shown below).^[12] Within nine days, the tweet gathered upwards of 3,000 retweets and 1,300 likes.

That day, Lochte discussed the incident in an interview with NBC News, during which he described having a cocked gun placed against his head (shown below).

Ryan Lochte: "And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down,' and I put my hands up, I was like 'Whatever.'"

Meanwhile, Lochte tweeted a message that he and his teammates were "safe and unharmed" (shown below). Within four days, the tweet gained over 10,000 likes and 2,700 retweets.^[2]

Developments

After Lochte had flown home on August 16, Conger and Bentz were prevented from leaving and their passports were seized.^[85] A judge in Brazil also issued a search and seizure warrant for Lochte and Feigen; Feigen subsequently contacted the authorities, and said he would make a public statement when the matter was settled.^[86] Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro concluded that the athletes were not robbed, but instead had been involved in an incident at a gas station in Barra da Tijuca, west of the city.^[87] This investigation found that the swimmers stopped at a gas station near Casa França, where they were involved in a confrontation with security guards regarding vandalism the swimmers had caused in a bathroom while intoxicated.^{[88][89][90][91]}

According to anonymous police sources, Conger and Bentz admitted to fabricating the story.^[92] The Associated Press reported that Conger and Bentz "refuted Lochte’s claim that the group was held up by armed assailants."^[93] On August 18, police recommended Lochte face charges for falsely reporting a crime.^[94] On August 19, Lochte posted on Instagram an apology for his behavior.^[95]

Police Investigation

On August 18th, Brazilian authorities issued an official statement alleging that Lochte and his teammates had fabricated the robbery story, and had actually been involved in an argument with security at a local gas station over damage to a bathroom door.^[3] That day, The Daily Mail^[4] published an article highlighting leaked security camera footage which police claimed did not match the swimmers' accounts of the robbery.^[4]

Teammates' Admission

On August 18th, Yahoo Sports^[5] reported that a source informed them Bentz and Conger gave written statements refuting Lochte's claim that they were armed at gunpoint.

Online Reaction

On August 18th, Redditor JourneymanHunt posted a George Zimmer image macro joking that Lochte and his teammates were robbed by a prostitute to /r/AdviceAnimals^[1] (shown below). Within 24 hours, the post gained over 5,400 votes (91% upvoted) and 440 comments.

Meanwhile, YouTuber Cr1t1kal uploaded a video titled "Why Ryan Lochte Lied," which mocked Lochte's original robbery story for being absurd (shown below).

Throughout the day, many Twitter users began mocking Lochte in tweets using the hashtag #LochteGate (shown below).

Lochte's Apology

On August 19th, Lochte issued a formal statement of apology via Instagram^[6], expressing his regret for "not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning."

Al Roker's Reaction

On August 19th, 2016, The Today Show co-host Al Roker engaged in a heated discussion about the scandal with co-host Billy Bush, during which Roker repeatedly criticized Lochte by stressing that he "lied" and "left" his teammates hanging.” As Bush began responding with his counter argument, Roker was seen stirring his drink with a straw while shaking his head in disagreement (shown below, 0:55).

The following day, Viner CJZero posted a short clip of Roker angrily stirring his drink during the argument with the caption "Al Roker Ain't Buying It" (shown below). Within 72 hours, the video garnered upwards of 3.5 million views.

Shortly after, several Twitter users posted the Vine along with various humorous captions (shown below).^[10][11]

Also on August 20th, Twitter user @deray^[8] tweeted an edited version the clip along with the hashtag #LochteLied, which gained over 18,000 likes and 12,000 retweets with 72 hours. In the coming days, Lochte's critics tweeted about the Roker clip and denounced Lochte's actions using the #LochteLied^[7] hashtag. On August 23rd, The Daily Dot^[9] published an article about the Roker clip, titled "Roker furiously stirring his drink is the meme for late summer shade."

Al Roker holds it down for the truth, #LochteLied. pic.twitter.com/MjLIm1bbWw

— deray mckesson (@deray) August 20, 2016

Search Interest

External References