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

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stephenrjking

August 17th, 2016 at 10:21 PM ^

Brazil was worried about the impression people would get about them. This is not a good way to do that. They haven't committed a crime. Nobody is in danger of having their own rights violated, because no alleged perps have been identified. Honestly this would worry me if I were an athlete. What if something happens to me? Do I report it? Do I hide it? This could just be a sideshow, an extra day's delay. But if Brazil presses its luck and American athletes perceive oppressive treatment... there could be real publicity trouble. If Brazil hassles the athletes too much, the US might consider pulling out of the closing ceremonies. Send athletes home for safety. That would not look good. This is all very improbable, of course. But who would have seen athletes being refused a chance to get home?

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1464

August 17th, 2016 at 11:38 PM ^

You're withholding a ton of other evidence here. It's pretty likely these guys were not telling the truth. The telling thing, to me, is that you're getting upvoted. It tells me the vast majority of people arguing on this thread don't even know the facts of the story.

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stephenrjking

August 17th, 2016 at 10:40 PM ^

You have proof? You seem to be assuming that the worst rumors and speculation are true. I realize you're in Rio, but how do you know this is true? If the worst they did is make something up, well, that's bad. But bad enough to keep them from leaving a country they came to for the Olympics? That's a pretty harsh response. It's not going to go over well anywhere.

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HAIL-YEA

August 17th, 2016 at 10:50 PM ^

of fantasy land do you live in where this is a pretty harshe response? Brazil clearly feels they have proof or they wouldn't have done this. Unless you are trying to say Brazil has the ballz to hold American Olympians prisoner without proper cause.  If you go to a foreign country and file a false report, and the police find evidence of that, what country would let you just leave before you are put in front of a judge?

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93Grad

August 17th, 2016 at 11:04 PM ^

filing a false report, including Brazil.  False reporting a crimes is almost never prosecuted.  If this were not Olympic swimmers making the allegedly false report there is zero chance the brazilian authorities would pull them off a plane and take their passports. 

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bigl133

August 18th, 2016 at 7:30 AM ^

Did they file a false police report?  I thought Ryan told his mom and she informed the press.  Hard to be charged with filing a false police report when you all you did is lie to your mom.  Now the authorities may have spoken to them about the incident and were lied to but that is not the same as coming in and filing a false felony police report.

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schreibee

August 18th, 2016 at 7:25 AM ^

The United States, UK, pretty much every NATO nation I'd imagine, would NOT board your plane and detain you over the possibility you had inconsistencies in a story about being robbed while in their country. It's a pretty over the top response, and I'm surprised so many here are defending it.

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grumbler

August 18th, 2016 at 10:52 AM ^

What kind of fantasy land do you live in where no government officials ever do dumb things for dumb reasons, and therefor all government officials should always be assumed correct?

No report, false or otherwise, was filed, according to Brazilian police.  What fantasy world do you live in where no report = false report?

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tlo2485

August 17th, 2016 at 10:58 PM ^

Well, they've provided multiple conflicting versions of the story and there is surveillance of them at places that conflict with their stories by multiple hours. They're shown entering the village 3 hours later than they said they did, placing wallets and phones into bins at the metal detectors. So, I think Brazil might have a case to at least want some more answers. The lesson is, do not break any laws in a foreign country, ever. You are left up to their judgment whether you think it's fair or not.

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MGoBender

August 17th, 2016 at 11:55 PM ^

At least he has some cause to speak with certainty.  Other people on this thread seem to be speaking with plenty of certainty despite not having talked to reporters themselves in Rio.

MGoBlog has a long history of people generally reporting "true" things... Yes, mostly about things happening in Ann arbor that are not technically public knowledge. But, still, the community here holds high standards and I don't assume someone is making up a story for S's & G's on MGoBlog. Generally, people that claim some inside knowledge on this site are telling the truth to the best of their ability.

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griff32

August 18th, 2016 at 8:49 AM ^

I think that reporters can only report what they are told, wether or not the information is fact or not should be backed up by evidence. showing them returning at a different time than they said, is in my opinion not enough evidence to pull them off of a plane. Hopefully they can provide more evidence.

 

Either way in the end someone is going to have egg on their face. Brazil has a lot more to lose.

 

Oh and September 3rd can't get here fast enough!!!!!

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WorldwideTJRob

August 17th, 2016 at 10:44 PM ^

I'll try and make sense of this for you...Let's localize the incident to make it even easier. My hometown of Detroit already has an image problem when it comes to crime and corruption as many people know. Hypothetically their hosting a major international event and some German guy is out on the town. He thinks it's a bright idea to try and score some cocaine in a sketchy neighborhood. While trying to obtain the drugs, he gets robbed! Instead of telling the truth and exposing his drug habit. He comes up with some tale about getting robbed by crooked DPD officers. So the police chief orders up an immediate investigation to avoid a global incident to ensure everybody else in town that the city is safe. He even enlist the help of the federal government to get to the bottom of this. They spend time, resources and manpower on this investigation. During the investigation they find out the guy may have made this whole story up. Now do you think they are going to smile, brush it off and go about their day? "FUCK NO!!!" He would at least have to stand up in front of the press and apologize for throwing dirt on the city's name, if not face criminal or civil charges. I think if the roles were flipped and this happened on our soil people would be feeling a lot different about it.



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Erik_in_Dayton

August 17th, 2016 at 11:05 PM ^

...the image in people's minds be that of armed men pulling people who were trying to go home off of a plane and at least to some extent detaining them. That's a negative image that comes with a cost even if the swimmers did make up the story. It's not worth it when these guys were going to leave and likely not come back anyway. This makes Brazil seem like a scarier place - justifiably or not.

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Yeoman

August 18th, 2016 at 12:24 AM ^

At this point we don't know what allegation we're talking about. Several suspicions have been tossed about; you and I each apparently have our preferences among them.

Maybe the truth will be more clear when Lochte takes off his sunglasses.

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tlo2485

August 17th, 2016 at 11:01 PM ^

I think is the opposite.  I'm waiting for the swimmers to have to make a public apology and we will all look stupid because of them. You're defending guys who were out until 7 am drinking, doing who know what else, causing them to potentially make up a story that embarrassed an entire country in front of the world.

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schreibee

August 18th, 2016 at 8:41 AM ^

Erik, you can keep making your rational argument until the cows come home, many here aren't gonna hear you. You keep saying you're not defending the swimmers, simply saying pulling them off their flight was an ill-advised over-reaction, but those who are enjoying this incident are just gonna keep repeating their point. Barking up the wrong tree you are, trying to be sensible with those not in the mood for sense!

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stephenrjking

August 17th, 2016 at 10:54 PM ^

Yeah, the worldwide community would have no problem with the US holding and prosecuting someone who was robbed for altering details of the crime because we got our feelings hurt. No problem at all. /s False accusations of actual individuals and groups are rarely prosecuted here, much less altered accusations of actual crimes in which no particular person or group of people is held in lower repute. Think of the UVA rape scandal, for example--have there been prosecutions there? No. If the alleged victims lied, authorities have every right to investigate and clear their name. But they are now holding US citizens against their will. That's quite serious, and quite potentially a huuuuge overplay of their hand.

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JBE

August 17th, 2016 at 11:02 PM ^

We hold thousands of foreign citizens against their will, often for no criminal action, or potential criminal action. We overplayed our hand too, but we own the deck, at least for now. If Brazil believes they committed a crime, they have the right to hold them.

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JBE

August 18th, 2016 at 12:06 AM ^

The OPD holds and questions an average of 4 foreign citizens per weeks for offenses such as suspicious behavior and vagrancy, which are most often based on complaints received at Disneyworld. Instances such as these are also frequent in places such as NYC, LA, and Texas. Police departments need not substantial cause and frequently bring in a foreign citizens to "have a talk." Complaints jump to questioning and holding more often when a person is not a citizen than when they are, obviously. Thousands are held and questioned every year. This instance with the swim team is vastly more public of course.

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stephenrjking

August 17th, 2016 at 11:19 PM ^

I have done none of those things. And I live in the real world, where people can recognize that guys are idiots and still observe that s country that is extremely concerned about its public image can make a serious public relations error by overreacting. My observation of international publicity should not be considered an endorsement of any alleged foolish or immoral behavior by the swimmers and I have in no way asserted their innocence. This is a question of public image and of scale. You seem unable to grasp that.

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