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As conflicting reports continue to emerge about Ryan Lochte’s alleged robbery in Rio, “#LochteGate” has become a trending topic on Twitter. Many are now sounding off on the situation, particularly as questions about the Olympian’s truthfulness continue to swirl.
As Gossip Cop reported, last weekend Lochte claimed he was robbed at gunpoint with other Team USA swimmers as they were traveling back to the Olympic village after a night out in Brazil. The allegation was first made public by the athlete’s mom, and was met with a swift denial by Brazilian authorities. Lochte then gave his account in an interview with NBC’s Billy Bush, and met with local police for questioning.
On Wednesday, however, cops said there were inconsistencies in the swimmers’ stories, and no evidence that the robbery had actually taken place as they claimed. They requested Lochte surrender his passport and stay in the country, but he was already back in the United States. On Wednesday night, Lochte spoke with NBC’s Matt Lauer, and largely stuck by his story, though noticeably changed some of the details.
Now on Thursday morning, new reports say Lochte and his group were not robbed, but had an altercation at a gas station. A security video allegedly shows one of the swimmers “breaking down the door to the bathroom at the gas station and fighting with a security guard,” according to ABC. While this new development has not yet been confirmed, the issue is dominating conversation on social media.
Many of the tweets are mocking Lochte, quite a few remain skeptical of his claims, and some are theorizing about what really may have gone down. @_FrannyPack_ tweeted, “All of this was to cover up a brawl at a gas station? Still not adding up.” @plronsports said, “Looks like #USSwimmers may have been doing something, somewhere w/someone that they should not of.” @MzAne4u guessed, “#LochteGate Hookers, Too Much to Drink, Passed out, Hookers steal Wallets. Men Embarrassed make up story. End of Story.”
“The guy who tried to make ‘Jeah’ happen might have lied to us?” deadpanned @JP_ComplianceJD. @Drew_Martin9 wrote, “Lochte just got tired of Phelps and Ledecky getting all of the attention I guess??” @lug_nut_2016 commented, “#LochteGate It’s very important to stick with your original story…NO MATTER WHAT!!!
@OddKimber predicted, “#LochteGate he’s going to let this die down a little, then admit to making a drunken mistake by saying he got robbed at gunpoint…” @DaRealGorilla snarked, “Certainly the #DumbBlonde defense will be undeniably sincere #LochteGate.” More seriously, @extranjero noted, “It’s sad if #LochteGate was a lie but even sadder to see a country so insecure about how the world sees it.”
@BuckeyesGirl33 argued, “Man if only Rio spent this much time on fighting ‘real crime,’ they could make a dent in making their country safe.” @bvolini also remarked, “Very confused on this Lochte thing. Why does video of them fighting at a gas station mean they werent held up?” And in a show of support, @MissSchliez said, “The fact that Brazil and the IOC refuted this within half an hour of it breaking, makes me believe Lochte #LochteGate.”
Meanwhile, others were just amused by all the memes and gifs going around. @YulianaTweets posted, “idk if the story is real or made up but these tweets are funny #LochteGate #LochteRobbery.” And @catriionaa even said, “#LochteGate may be my favorite thing that the Internet has come up with.”
