Ryan Lochte and his attorney pushed back Tuesday against questions about the swimmer and his teammates being victimized in an armed robbery Sunday in Rio.
An anonymous law enforcement official told The Associated Press Brazilian police have been unable to find the man who was driving the taxi in which the swimmers said they were riding, or any other witnesses to the crime. The source said Lochte and another swimmer told police they were intoxicated at the time and could not describe the taxi nor say exactly where or when the incident took place.
The United States Olympic Committee released a statement Sunday afternoon saying Lochte and teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen said they were in a taxi that was stopped by armed men claiming to be police officers, "who demanded the athletes’ money and other personal belongings." That statement came after an International Olympic Committee spokesman said at a news conference that the USOC had told him rumors of Lochte being robbed were untrue.
Lochte told USA Today Sports on Tuesday that the discrepancy was the result of his and his teammates' fears that they would get in trouble if they told the USOC about the incident. The swimmer's attorney, Jeff Ostrow, said Lochte first spoke to security officials from the U.S. and Brazilian governments and the USOC around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, after the story had been circulating for several hours and Lochte had done an interview with NBC describing the incident.
"I know that Ryan didn't want this to turn into what it did," Ostrow told USA Today. "The Olympics are more important and Team USA's performances are more important."
Ostrow told the AP Lochte cooperated fully with law enforcement and said there was no reason to question his account.
"It doesn't behoove Ryan and anyone else to make up a story," Ostrow said.