Ryan Lochte scandal megathread

The statement from Bentz and the narrative offered by Brazilian authorities agree that the swimmers entered a narrow walkway and urinated behind the gas station. The accounts also agree that, at some point, Lochte pulled what Bentz described as a “loosely attached” advertising sign from a wall. Deluz described it as a framed canvas that was torn as Lochte pulled it to the ground.

At a news conference Thursday, Rio police chief Fernando Veloso characterized the athletes' actions at the gas station as vandalism. He said they also had broken a soap dispenser and mirror inside the restroom. Reports quickly grew that the Americans had trashed the restroom.

A USA TODAY Sports videographer who visited the bathroom Thursday found no damage to soap dispensers and mirrors and said none of those items appeared to be new. Some media accounts suggested the men had broken down a door, which USA TODAY Sports also did not observe.

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The witness, Fernando Deluz, says he got involved after one of the guards pulled a gun on the men.

"As soon as they drew their weapon, that's when I got worried,” Deluz, a disc jockey, told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday.

“It was also so fast, and what I wanted was to resolve the situation,” says Deluz, who days later talked to police. “If it hadn't been for wanting to resolve that, if I hadn't involved myself, I thought – the police chief told me, ‘Man, if you hadn't gone there in that moment, a tragedy could have occurred.’

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Twilight Sparkle said:

Yeah and that eye-witness who confirmed his story made it up too right? And the photographic proof of there being no damage to the bathroom is made up as well?

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Vandyn said:

How do you explain his friends throwing him under the bus like that? If they really did nothing wrong, why did one guy donate something like 10k?

It doesn't matter what the media did or did not report. The fault of all this shit is on Lochte because he doesn't talk to Matt Laurer about it and just goes on his merry way nobody know shit.

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Cad said:

That was the "we'll let you leave the country if you donate $10k" donation, didn't you realize that? That was national-level extortion. Surprised you bring that up as if it were voluntary.

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Vandyn said:

So what your saying is the Brazillian government railroaded these three guys and they just bent over and took it (including Lochte losing all his sponsorships) because they feel bad that they were drunk?

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Twilight Sparkle said:

I don't have to explain a fucking thing, the eyewitness testimony and photographic proof of an undamaged bathroom does that for me. But maybe the threat of being unable to leave a third world shithole because the authorities seized your passports could have something to do with throwing someone under a bus or paying 10 grand.

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Lendarios said:

It makes no difference that the damages were to the poster and not the bathroom. There were damages inflicted by Ryan's crew. Hence it was not a robbery, it was a citizens arrest with a pay $20.00 to go home clause.

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João Batista Damasceno, a Rio judge, does not discard the possibility that the guards' actions could be rightly interpreted as a robbery.

"If they only asked for the amount of the damage, it may not be a robbery," Damasceno said in a message to USA TODAY Sports. "But if the amount taken is higher than the value of the damages, with the use of a weapon by the 'security,' this is robbery."

Damasceno added that even if someone has the right to receive compensation, that does not mean they can determine the amount on their own and take actions such as drawing guns to collect. Brazilian law rarely allows for a person to obtain such a payment through the use of their own force – such disputes should be mediated by the state, he said.

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