After Ryan Lochte’s false tale of armed robbery during the Rio Olympics, the Olympic medalist still seems to have kept his sponsors for the time being.
Lochte sponsors, who sometimes don’t reveal that they help fund the athlete, like Speedo have confirmed that they are one of his sponsors and will determine if they want Lochte to represent their brand. The Speedo spokesperson commented that they are following the situation and can’t comment on an ongoing legal investigation due to a company mandated policy.
Ralph Lauren who has public prided in sponsoring Lochte has commented that they are working closely with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) on the details that surround Lochte’s false tale in Rio and are reviewing if they want his name associated with their brand.
The four-time Olympian attendee, Lochte and his three teammates- Jimmy Feign, Gunnar Bentz, and Jack Conger have sparked an international uproar when they claimed they were robbed at gunpoint by men posing as officers after a night of drinking. Ever since his first telling of the robbery, Lochte has retracted some of the details in his story. Now Rio de Janeiro police are claiming the swimmers all lied about the incident and for the media to believe their story they vandalized a gas station restroom.
Ryan Lochte has returned to Gainesville Florida after Brazilian officers escorted Conger and Bentz from their airplane Wednesday night to ask more questions about the possible staged incident. Both swimmers have been released from questioning and returned to the United States on August 18th.
Chief executive officer for the USOC Scott Blackmun stated that the behavior of these American athletes are not acceptable and that their actions do not represent the values of Team USA. He also commented that the USOC is reviewing the incident and will determine if these athletes will receive any possible punishments.
Lochte’s other publicly known sponsor, Airweave, have actually stood by the athlete. Spokespeople for the Airweave company has commented that Lochte will remain as a U.S ambassador as long as he is still a respected athlete.
Although most of his sponsors are all waiting until a further investigation of the night in question before they decide to permanently drop the Olympic swimmer.
