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

93Grad

August 17th, 2016 at 10:52 PM ^

total overreaction by Brazilian authorities.  Whether the swimmers made up parts or even all of their stories or not this is a ridiculous move.

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MGoCombs

August 18th, 2016 at 2:10 AM ^

Not really... I sincerely don't think NYPD would arrest people leaving NYC just because they made up some fake story about NYPD shaking them down especially when they know it would make international news. I don't really know what to think of this nonsense of a story but I don't think it makes sense to believe this would obviously happen in the US.



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grand river fi…

August 18th, 2016 at 3:30 AM ^

Yea most the brazillians (and a few bolivians) I know thought it all sounded completely normal until the pictures appeared of them with their phones.  

Every one of them knows, from experience, that the phones would be the first things stolen, the black market for phones in rio is massive.  They all called it bullshit immediately.  Hold people up at gun point to steal 200 reais (like $143) and not bother to take their $600 phones or watches.  Was mentioned a couple times that if the cops wanted to take cash they'd just demand a pat down and go through their pockets anyway, wouldn't go to the trouble of putting a gun to anyones head.

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OMG Shirtless

August 17th, 2016 at 11:12 PM ^

If the punishment in Brazil for filing a false police report is community service as I Like Burgers said it is, delaying a commercial flight to the United States to pull a few morons off a plan seems like an overreaction.

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Blau

August 17th, 2016 at 11:31 PM ^

Makes Brazilian authorities look somewhat over-bearing and little late to the game now that Lochte has left but also makes the Americans look really childish and immature if they are in fact lying. 

This is one of those situations where everything about it is sooo stupid and now it has to play out on world-wide broadcast, overshadowing what has been a great summer olympics so far.

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wellington

August 17th, 2016 at 11:45 PM ^

Brazilian authorities do not look overbearing when removing people from flights who have at least tangentially implicated potential employees of the Brazilian police force as being part of an armed robbery. Especially when things do not add up. But I agree with the "childish" and "immature" part of your statement... and might add "condescending", "tone-deaf", and "completely oblivious to the effect their story might have on the perception of these games" to the equation.



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ESNY

August 18th, 2016 at 8:55 AM ^

You are commenting that people would've been so impressed by the performance that Brazil put on that Rio would be seen as a utopia and they had to try to rebut the alleged mugging to save the pristine image it had as a result of the olympics.  Brazil has just about fucked up every possible way as host including some new and inventive ways.  Green water in the diving pool!  Astronomical parasite counts!  Now they are chasing people off airplanes to try to save face?   Guess the police were too busy removing Americans from an airplane on the tarmac because there may be inconsistencies in the story instead of, you know, protecting the remaining athletes, like the British Olympian being robbed at gunpoint yesterday.   Wonder what they'll do now that the British Olympic authorities has published a note saying that Rio is an incredibiliy dangerous place and no one should leave the Olympic grounds.

 

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wellington

August 18th, 2016 at 9:31 AM ^

Well, there are two arguments here. One of those arguments revolves around the behaviour of the athletes involved. The other focuses on whether or not Brazilian officials were overbearing.

Are you saying it is "fairly self-explanatory" that comments about the behaviour of the athletes involved are accurate but do not support the conclusion that Brazilian officials were not overbearing?



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schreibee

August 18th, 2016 at 12:42 PM ^

Yes, precisely wellington. A,B,C may all be true, yet do not necessarily = D. D in this case is the statement "It was wise, appropriate & proportionate to remove people from a flight and confiscate their passports" Unless A,B or C included violence, theft or a terrorist conspiracy, then they don't add up to D. Simple

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FLwolvfan22

August 18th, 2016 at 12:18 AM ^

And some asshat has to tarnish it by acting a fool and making Muricans look bad. I knew something was up when Lochte wouldn't take his sunglasses off when NBC asked him what happened. Also, love how the guy that lies bails out, gets home to the US safely and his two buddies get busted and are stuck in Brazil. Damn I had "friends" like that back in the day. 

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BoFan

August 18th, 2016 at 12:52 AM ^

Remember DSK? US tried to prosecute him. That known misogynist and rapist should be in jail.

For whoever came up with the Detroit scenario the DSK scenario is reality. Detroit no doubt would let an Olympian going to Windsor go under the radar without any press.

But this! Brazil and its puppet judges should have let it go.

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MGoStretch

August 18th, 2016 at 12:59 AM ^

...that I just read 165 posts on this thread and not a single one of them was PeterKlima voraciously defending the swimmers. I'm certain at least one of the swimBros was in a frat at some point and needs their honor defended! Treetops #neverforget.

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160 IQ

August 18th, 2016 at 1:11 AM ^

I'm also not going to pretend that massive corruption does not occur in the US as well.  People don't want to hear about it but the in your face corruption going on for the past 15 years is sickening.  I'll leave it at that to avoid a crap storm.

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