Rio Olympics spokesman offers surprisingly relaxed statement on Ryan Lochte's alleged robbery story
On Thursday, ABC's Matt Gutman reported that a video showed Lochte and the three other swimmers, Gunnar Bentz, Jimmy Fiegen, and Jack Conger, fighting with gas station security.
After Bentz and Conger were pulled off a plane trying to leave Rio Wednesday and NBC's Matt Lauer reported that Lochte's story changed in two small ways, the entire situation has become something of a mess.
However, Rio Olympics spokesman Mario Andrada doesn't seem to be sweating it. On Thursday, Andrada released a statement on the situation that added up to a collective shrug (via Yahoo's Greg Wyshynski).
"I do not regret having apologized," Andrada said. "No apologies from [Lochte] or other athletes are needed. We have to understand that these kids came here to have fun. Let's give these kids a break. Sometimes you make decisions that you later regret. They had fun, they made a mistake, life goes on."
Of course, there are two different perspectives on this.
For Brazil, the report of Lochte being robbed at gunpoint is an embarrassment - a top Olympian's life being put in danger while trying to enjoy a night out in the host city.
However, for the Olympics, the aftermath of the situation is also a black eye. Surely, the IOC would rather the incident blow over so the attention would return to the games.
It's unclear where the story goes from here, but it hardly seems over yet, despite Andrada's preference.