Ryan Lochte will forfeit $100,000 in bonus money that went with his gold medal at the Olympics as part of the punishment for his drunken encounter at a gas station in Brazil during last month’s games.
The USOC gives a $25,000 bonus to Olympic gold-medal winners, and USA Swimming has awarded a $75,000 gold-medal bonus at past Olympics.
He’ll get no monthly funding from either organization during a 10-month suspension, can’t access USOC training centers, must perform 20 hours of community service and will miss Team USA’s post-Olympics trip to the White House.
Lochte, 32, had previously lost an estimated $1 million after he was dropped by key sponsors, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren, as he rapidly changed accounts of the “robbery” that happened at the Rio gas station.
The penalties were announced Thursday as Lochte agreed to a ban through next June that also will render him ineligible for world championships next July because he won’t be able to qualify for them at nationals the previous month.
Lochte’s gold in the 4×200 freestyle relay was one of 121 overall medals the United States won at the Olympics, yet his actions at the gas station overshadowed a large portion of the second half of the Olympics.
Despite his embarrassment, Lochte has maintained a high profile, posting regularly on social media and accepting a spot on the upcoming season of “Dancing With The Stars.” TMZ encountered him at an airport and grilled him about the suspension, but he consistently “no commented” them until the conversation turned to the reality show.
Last month, Brazilian police charged Lochte with filing a false robbery report, but Lochte has not said whether he’ll return to Brazil to defend himself.
Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, who were with Lochte at the gas station, agreed to four-month suspensions. Those sanctions also strip funding and training access and preclude them from the White House visit. Bentz, 20, will also serve 10 hours of community service for violating a curfew rule for athletes under 21.
“As we have said previously, the behavior of these athletes was not acceptable. It unfairly maligned our hosts and diverted attention away from the historic achievements of Team USA,” USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said. “Each of the athletes has accepted responsibility for his actions and accepted the appropriate sanctions.”
The International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission is also looking into the incident.
“When Code of Conduct infractions occur, it’s our responsibility to take action that reflects the seriousness of what happened,” USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said. “Unfortunately, this story line took attention away from the athletes who deserved it the most.”