The scandal surrounding the four United States male swimmers (Ryan Lochte, James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger) has grabbed the attention of the Rio Olympics. The heart of the issue comes down to diverging facts: when you have four swimmers, witnesses and video evidence to substantiate accounts it is easy to point out where testimonies diverge. Therefore it is easy to point out the truth versus the lie.
The issue spiraled out of control because Ryan Lochte's mother went to the press claiming her son was robbed at gunpoint as this was the information he relayed to his mom. However, this was far from the truth. In reality, it was Lochte and his friends that were drunk, unable to properly use the restroom and Lochte hitting a sign off the wall, causing damages. This was just the beginning of a white lie spiraling out of control as Lochte began to tweak the first account he made to the press. He went from saying they were stopped by fake policemen on the side of the road to changing the scenery to the gas station, where the event actually occurred. When Lochte changed his story the meat of the story stayed the same as he said that a gun was pointed at the group and that they were robbed. However, his account was discredited when Gunnar Bentz issued an apology letter where he solidified the facts that the Rio officials substantiated based off of eye-witness testimony and video surveillance. Bentz' story and other evidence proves that the swimmers were in the wrong and tried to flee the scene, but were actually asked for money to pay for the damages done to the station. Although this may be seen as paying someone off, we have to realize that the swimmers were in a different country where the culture is much different than the United States.
Truth is, while our world may be crazy and some individuals may seem to be able to come out unscathed (even though they lie through their teeth), most cannot skate around the truth. When there are witnesses and cameras to substantiate the facts and point out the gaps in individual accounts the truth tends to come to light. In the case of Lochte and crew, there were discrepancies between Lochte's and the other swimmers testimonies which caused the Rio police to go deeper into the story of what occurred.
The lesson which has transpired out of this could be a harsh reality for those four swimmers, in particular, Ryan Lochte. Lochte has a lot to lose. All the sponsors that give him money could wipe their contracts with him as they do not want a liar to represent them. He could potentially not be able to swim in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo if the USA Swimming committee finds this punishment appropriate for his actions. Also, Brazil could pursue their case against Lochte and Feigen for falsifying their accounts.
Although it may be a harsh punishment for the four swimmers, it shows how important it is to be truthful. No one can fight the hard-core facts. Why lie about something so dumb just to try to cover-up the reality that they had been drinking and defaced property? If they had come clean and been upfront about what happened, then they would have faced consequences on a lesser extent to the ones that they now face.
