It seems we’re not quite rid of the Ryan Lochte story quite yet, even though he’s already become a sponsor-less pariah who’s been the butt of every late night host’s jokes. He’s suffered as grim a fate as a famous Olympic athlete can face (that is, a white one). Though the court of public opinion may have found him guilty and even produced a confession, the actual legal system isn’t done with him yet.
Lochte has been summoned back to Brazil to testify in the case against him for filing a false police report, according to ABC News. As we noted previously, he won’t face prison time, as the punishment tends to range from fines to community service. With that in mind, and with the caveat that we’re not intimately familiar with the Brazilian legal system, demanding something akin to extradition for such a minor offense seems a little bit like the Rio police attempting to make an example of the American swimmer.
It’s understandable that Rio authorities want to bring the hammer down on Lochte, considering the stunning entitlement and exceptionalism he displayed throughout the incident, but they might be overplaying their hand. Who’s ready for a will he/won’t he story that drags on for weeks, huh? [begins looking up bartending jobs]
(Via ABC)
