What Lochte Should Have Said...

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My experience can be summed up by that scene in Rio in Furious Five, where The Rock's character tracks down Vin Diesel and his crew. The Rock is full of American puffery, with guns drawn about to arrest everybody, when Vin turns the tables, reminding him, “This is Brazil!”

First off, I'm truly and sincerely sorry. And I know I must go beyond a mere apology and give some sort of explanation for my behavior.

Truth is, I was being a dick. As a high level athlete representing a lone superpower in the greatest sports competition, I also carried a bit of pride and arrogance. I came to Rio, assuming it to just be a party  town enclosed in a third world country. With It's clogged rivers, corrupt politicians, and tainted mosquitos, it was easy to look at Brazil with disdain.

Add to that, I simply had a less than stellar Olympic experience. I won a single gold, as the member of a relay team that featured my biggest nemesis as my teammate. Head to head against Phelps, I was a non-factor. Humbled and humiliated, I turned to Rio's revelry for solace. My teammates and I were drunks, taking our host for granted. Who knew they'd have the same overhead surveillance tech as any other country?
I lied about what happened that night because of my stupid ego, because I was prejudiced, because of my own low self esteem. I hope my experience serves as a cautionary tale to my fellow countrymen and athletes everywhere.

Personally, I have found my greatest challenge: Honesty with myself and others.

Lastly, I want to specifically apologize to Rio/Brazil. You have overcome bad economics, bad waterways, Zika, and douche bag behavior of athletes like me. I am sorry and I salute you.

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