Defending Ryan Lochte

Let me start off by saying that yes, vandalism of a public bathroom, or any vandalism, is wrong. And Lochte needed to apologize for that—which he now has.

Actually, despite the opinion of self-important media commentators, and many people who apparently spend much of their time cheering for various celebrities to be brought down by scandal, Lochte’s apology got it exactly right. He apologized for his personal conduct that night, as well as for not initially telling the entire story of what happened, making it seem as if he had done absolutely nothing wrong. But he stood his ground on the other essential facts of that story, which he has stuck to since the beginning—and which police reports and surveillance cameras have now corroborated.

Lochte said the four swimmers were approached by men dressed as police or security guards, and prevented them from leaving. Check. Both video evidence and the police report agree with this.

He said the security guards demanded money. Check. Also true, judging from the video and the police report.

He said the guards demanded they sit on the ground, and would not allow them to leave until they had paid. The other three swimmers did so, and Lochte refused. Check.

Lochte said one of the men drew a gun and again demanded money. Check.

He said the men were eventually paid, and only then allowed Lochte and the other three to leave. Check.

In fact, the only part of Lochte’s story that has changed at all since news first broke last weekend was the location. Lochte first said the swimmers’ cab was pulled over by robbers posing as police, and later said that the cab was already stopped at a gas station when the security guards approached. A change, sure, but hardly a major difference. He also omitted the vandalism—which as I said above was a mistake. But again, it doesn’t change the fact that the four Americans were held at gunpoint until they handed over cash. No one is disputing this portion of Lochte’s account, which is really the central part of the story.

Now I’ve never been to Brazil, so I don’t know if police and security guards make a habit of extorting cash at gunpoint or if this is an unusual case. But, regardless of what might have transpired before, if several men had approached me brandishing weapons and demanding money, I would consider that a robbery. That’s not how a just law enforcement system operates—and yes, some norms of justice are common across cultures, or should be.

Good for Ryan Lochte for finally coming clean and apologizing for the vandalism. And good for him for also standing his ground and calling the incident what it was—a robbery. In that sense, Lochte and the others remain the victims.