The U.S. Olympic Committee has reportedly suspended swimmer Ryan Lochte for 10 months and his three colleagues in the Rio Olympics “robbery” for lesser periods.
Citing “USOC connected sources,” the celebrity news site TMZ noted that the suspension was disputed within America’s Olympic ruling body.
The suspension has the backing of USA Swimming and the International Olympic Committee, TMZ reported.
Fellow swimmers Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger were also were suspended, one of them for four months, TMZ reported. The site said there will be further unspecified punishments against Lochte.
The four claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint at a Rio de Janeiro gas station, but their account quickly unraveled and Lochte admitted having exaggerated some details. That concession wasn’t good enough for Brazilian authorities who have charged Lochte with filing a false police report.
According to TMZ, the fact that the 10-month suspension was greater than the punishment meted out to Michael Phelps for two DUIs (he was only suspended for six months) caused dissension among USOC members, with some thinking Lochte’s suspension excessive.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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