Lochte issues vague apology for ‘behavior’

RIO DE JANEIRO — Ryan Lochte, the 12-time Olympic medal winner who claimed to have been robbed last weekend in Rio de Janeiro by men identifying themselves as police officers, issued an apology Friday “for my behavior” in an episode that has cast a pall over the games.

The apology came as testimony emerged from other U.S. swimmers challenging Lochte’s initial version of events. In sworn statements to investigators, the other swimmers described Lochte, 32, as drunk and unruly, saying he had damaged property at a gas station and later misrepresented what happened.

“I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend — for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning,” Lochte said in a statement on Instagram.

Lochte did not give a full account of what happened during the episode, or explain the ways in which his earlier depictions of events were inaccurate. But he insisted that a gun was pointed at him and that he was forced to hand over money.

“It’s traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country — with a language barrier — and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave,” he said in the statement.

In sworn statements to Brazilian investigators, Lochte’s teammates said that he was drunk and disorderly, had damaged property and was in need of calming down as they discussed the situation with an armed security guard. Two of the swimmers described public urination, vandalism and other drunken antics by the swimmers, police said.

As the scandal over the swimmers grew this week, judges in Brazil sought to prevent the men from leaving the country.

But Lochte had already flown to the United States.

Many Brazilians felt that the statement fell short.

“Lochte apologizes but doesn’t admit lying,” said Rodrigo Mattos, a sports commentator for UOL, one of Brazil’s largest news websites. “He’s still portraying himself as a victim. So much arrogance.”