OT: US Swimmers removed from airplane by Brazilian authorities

Submitted by Go Blue in NC on

Per USOC, USA swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were removed from their flight back to the US by Brazilian authorities this evening. Obviously limited information at this point and I know another thread addresses this issue but figured it would get buried. Will update the OP as more info comes out.

Link: https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/766091610102915072

MGoBoard

I Like Burgers

August 17th, 2016 at 10:24 PM ^

They lied to authorities which is a problem. And then Lochte went on TV and continued the lie turning his own stupidity and embarrassment into shame for Brazil when none of it was true.

It's like when you say your car is a piece of shit, vs. when someone else says it's a piece of shit and then goes on TV and tells everyone it's a piece of shit.

Brazil is in "fuck you, buddy" mode.



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bacon

August 17th, 2016 at 10:35 PM ^

Do we actually know they made the story up?  I'm not really inclined to believe the Brazilian authorties on this one when it sounds like something that probably happened. Olympians were robbed all sorts of ways, including during fire alarms. Plus, why would they make this story up? What did they get out of it?  I'm not disagreeing with you, but i must have missed some story that made it clear they lied.

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I Like Burgers

August 17th, 2016 at 11:01 PM ^

They made it up. I posted a lot of the story in the other thread, but the gist of it is they went to a whorehouse and didn't get robbed. Lochte either lost his wallet or did have it stolen at some point and called his mom and made up the robbery story because he was likely too embarrassed to tell her he was at a whorehouse.

The IOC's denial was because of a Lochte lie, they lied about what time they got back to athletes village, they lied about what gas station they got jumped at....the only thing that may be true about the story is that he called his mom.

And my source for all of this is that I am in Rio working the Olympics and this info is coming directly from reporters covering the story.



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stephenrjking

August 17th, 2016 at 11:12 PM ^

So link to their reporting. If there isn't published reporting, you are making certainties out of rumors. Look, I think it's quite possible that the rumors you are relaying are true. Maybe even likely. And people here know I have strong opinions about both lying and the behavior allegedly covered up. I think the truth is important. But this also appears, to me, to be a disproportionate response by authorities, a reaction prompted by wounded pride rather than the seriousness of the alleged crime. It has a chance to draw a lot of publicity, much of which won't look good. I think it's a mistake for them to do this, and if they actually try to prosecute, a much larger mistake. If they just ask a bunch of questions to get the story straight and let the guys go home tomorrow with a critical public statement, this blows over. But if they keep them there, this becomes daily news. And then the rumors come out and the seedy underbelly of Rio is exposed to the world and Brazil's corrupt law enforcement gets a serious look and they wind up much worse off than if some idiot swimmers lied about the circumstances in which they were robbed.

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stephenrjking

August 18th, 2016 at 12:18 AM ^

False reports are bad; prosecuting them is very, very rare. It's hard to say this without touching on politics, but let's just say that in the past year or two there have been a couple of serious, public controversies in the US that cast strong aspersions on certain groups and caused significantly more damage that were prompted by false reports to police and were not prosecuted.

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ijohnb

August 18th, 2016 at 9:24 AM ^

may not be "disproportionate" to bring charges, if it is a crime it is a crime.  It would be very unwise though.  It would be akin to poking a bear that was already very angry.  If they attempted to imprison these guys it could very well provoke a military response, for real.  If the story was false, it was a very stupid thing to do, but the Brazilian government should be involved soon to bring this to an end.  It is not in their best interest to pursue this any further.  They got their Olympics.  They got their revenue.  The conditions have been universally panned and charging these swimmers with a crime is not going to make anything better but it could make it much, much worse.

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Optimism Attache

August 18th, 2016 at 5:30 AM ^

1) Well, it wasn't the Rio police who made this a huge story--it was Lochte and his buds and Lochte's mom who were talking about it with the media originally.

2) Part of the reason they are trying to detain these guys may well be that the police themselves don't know what happened and are trying to get to the bottom of it. If some Brazilians tried to pull this in Miami, for example, do you think we would be ok with our police just letting it go?

3) You may have a point about this potentially making Rio and its authorities just look bad, but so far, to the intl community, I think it is our boys who are coming out looking bad. The world already knows so many of the negative things about Rio from the nonstop disaster porn coverage of the city leading up to the Olympics, so I don't know that there is a lot to expose.

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Muttley

August 18th, 2016 at 10:15 AM ^

according to this article:

http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_30257704/olympics-ryan-lochte-leaves-brazil-after-authorities-ban

 

Lochte and three other American swimmers are the center of a much-publicized incident in Rio this week. They were allegedly robbed at gunpoint Saturday, a claim the International Olympic Committee denied before backtracking.

However, Rio de Janeiro police claim they don't have evidence such a crime happened, the swimmers didn't file a police report and Brazilian police cannot find any other witnesses.

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Eat Your Wheatlies

August 18th, 2016 at 7:45 AM ^

So you're telling me that Lochte was paying for ass in Rio instead of opening his door and yelling out "I'm Ryan Lochte, someone come in and let's do this!"? I find it hard to believe (sure, not impossible, but c'mon) that this is accurate considering he was living in the freakin Olympic Village...the biggest orgy on the planet.

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Yeoman

August 18th, 2016 at 8:13 AM ^

A lot of people who don't have any trouble getting laid visit brothels. Some of them prefer sex that's paid for--it changes the dynamic in a way that they like. Some of them have preferences that aren't so easily satisfied on the street and may not be available at all in the village.

All those customers on the sex junkets to Thailand--do you think they aren't getting any sex at home, or do they have another reason?

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1464

August 17th, 2016 at 11:13 PM ^

Nah. If our douchebag swimmers falsified police reports, let them get shit on. It is not like Brazil will skin them alive. They'll get dragged through the muck, as they should. A wrist slap, then back home. USA won't let them do hard time, but if they're lying to cops, by all means, give em a few days in jail to think about it out.

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Double-D

August 18th, 2016 at 12:05 AM ^

You don't think pulling someone off their flight and detaining them isn't heavy handed? Trying to intimidate them? Maybe get them to falsify a statement so they can go home. It's bullshit. If these guys lied I hope they get embarrassed. Not every country offers the persecuted the same rights we have here at home.

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MGoBender

August 18th, 2016 at 12:07 AM ^

No, I don't assume pulling someone off the flight is heavy handed.  And now you're assuming they are intimidating them, making them falsifying statements, etc.

Like I said in another post you (and me and everyone) don't know why they were pulled off the plane (which, come on, is that really that big of a deal?).  Why are you assuming that the authorities don't have reason?  Isn't it more likely that they do have reason?

Who knows. Maybe they pulled a Craig James.  #NeverForget #CJK5H #badjoke?

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schreibee

August 18th, 2016 at 2:42 AM ^

How many times have the police or other authorities pulled you off your flight, bender or no? Unless they think the true story is the swimmers actually robbed someone, rather than vice versa, it's extremely heavy handed to the point of nearly pathologically defensive!

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gmoney41

August 18th, 2016 at 10:07 AM ^

Well, have you been to Brazil and seen the ladies there?  Oh My God, it's a beautiful sight.  I have watched a lot of the Olympics, and the ladies, while being great athletes, aren't exactly Brazil caliber when it comes to hotness.  I know I'll get negged for that, but hey, I've been to Brazil, and it was a very fun time.

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The Oracle

August 18th, 2016 at 8:25 AM ^

Speaking as an arrogant American, assuming law enforcement in a foreign country is going to conduct themselves in in a friendly, benevolent manner is a great example of American arrogance.

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BoFan

August 18th, 2016 at 10:30 AM ^

This is quite messed up. So you are basically saying that supporting international human rights is American arrogance. Wow!

Amnesty International, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is based in London. I think they would disagree.

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