We know now that Ryan Lochte was not telling the truth when he confirmed on NBC last Sunday that he had been the victim of an armed robbery in Rio. What was unclear was why he stuck to the story for so long.
The answer, according to Locke himself, is that he was still drunk from the night before.
Lochte told Brazil’s Jornal Nacional program on Saturday that he was still intoxicated when he went on TV to tell his story.
“I think we were still in shock but we were trying to forget everything and we were still intoxicated,” Lochte told the show, as translated by Deadspin. “Not that I’m saying that alcohol is an excuse, it isn’t, especially the actions I took. But we were very intoxicated.”
When it was pointed out to him that he’d gone on TV the day after the alleged robbery, Lochte responded, “It was hours later, so I was still intoxicated.”
Lochte confirmed the story to NBC on Sunday, shortly after his mother had done so. It wasn’t until Friday that he issued an apology and admitted that he sensationalized some of the events.
