Ryan Lochte, who represented the United States at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, recently clarified his controversial claims that he a group of three other U.S. swimmers had been robbed at gunpoint while at a petrol station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The competitive swimmer apologized and explained his claims.
CCTV footage contradicted Lochte's claims as it showed them vandalizing the petrol station. After this, he talked to Brazil's largest broadcaster Globo TV and insisted that he had not lied over what happened.
"I wasn't lying to a certain extent," Lochte said. He explained that he just "over-exaggerated" what was happening to him at the time.
Lochte apologized and said Brazil "doesn't deserve that." He also acknowledged that he "left details out" from his claims, which had caused him much trouble.
In another interview with Matt Lauer of NBC News, Lochte also said he did leave details out. The swimmer noted that the Rio police wanted to make it look like he was a "vandal" and not a victim.
According to Lochte, all they knew was that there was a gun pointed in their direction and they were demanded to give money. He acknowledged that he let his team down and explained that it was hours after the incident happened and he was intoxicated when he made his exaggerations.
For Lochte, he was not making it as his excuse and he should not have exaggerated the details. He clarified that the gun was drawn but it was not at his forehead.
Still, attorney Deborah Srour, who has represented Americans arrested in Brazil, insisted that the actions of Lochte do not constitute a crime. She said it is based on a strict reading of Brazilian penal code.
"This crime only happens when you go to the police and you make a report, you file a report,'' USA Today quoted Srour as saying. "This did not happen.''
Watch an interview with Lochte here: