Ryan Lochte: ‘My Immature, Intoxicated Behavior Tarnished’ A ‘Great’ Games (Full Interview) | TODAY — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00the 12-time Olympic medalist now taking
2. 0:02responsibility for what he says was
3. 0:04immature behavior in Rio nearly a week
4. 0:07after he and his three teammates claimed
5. 0:09that they were robbed at gunpoint we
6. 0:11asked Lochte about that and what
7. 0:14happened when he was confronted by
8. 0:16security guards
9. 0:17what was your tone the police said in
10. 0:20their press conference that you were
11. 0:22angry that you were belligerent and
12. 0:24perhaps that the security guard was
13. 0:26worried you might get aggressive is that
14. 0:28fair fair characterization not
15. 0:31me getting aggressive I mean that's not
16. 0:34really my
17. 0:35that's not me is getting mad and angry
18. 0:39and like wanting a fight or anything
19. 0:41like that but I was I was upset that we
20. 0:45got pulled out of the taxi for I thought
21. 0:48something that nothing like there was no
22. 0:51reason for a gun to be pulled out for us
23. 0:54for doing nothing a gunner in his
24. 0:57statement to police did say that you got
25. 0:59into a heated argument and discussion
26. 1:02with that security I was upset there was
27. 1:04no reason for us to be sitting down
28. 1:07with a gun pointed to us for nothing
29. 1:10that we did but at any time during that
30. 1:13exchange Ryan when you were that upset
31. 1:15and terrified as you just said did you
32. 1:18do you think you posed a threat to that
33. 1:21security guard that would have made him
34. 1:23believe he needed to continue to have
35. 1:26that gun out of its holster I think when
36. 1:29I got up and I was started
37. 1:32you know being like this is
38. 1:34using some words this is
39. 1:38BS like we shouldn't be like treated
40. 1:42like this like there's no way like we
41. 1:45want to get back in the car we want to
42. 1:46go back like that's that's why I got a
43. 1:49heated and
44. 1:51you know the the guy could probably draw
45. 1:54his gun from that and then once he did
46. 1:56you can definitely see me go like this
47. 1:58and
48. 1:59that's when we sat down I guess what I'm
49. 2:02trying to get at is the first version of
50. 2:04the story you told Ryan was much more
51. 2:06about the mean streets of Rio yeah and
52. 2:09the version we're hearing now is much
53. 2:12more about a negotiated settlement to
54. 2:15cover up some dumb behavior and
55. 2:19that's why I'm taking full
56. 2:21responsibility for it is because I over
57. 2:23exaggerated that story and if I never
58. 2:25did done that we wouldn't be in this
59. 2:28mess what about the people of Rio you
60. 2:31know they dealt with all the headlines
61. 2:32going into the games and about pollution
62. 2:34and violence and crime and here comes
63. 2:37the story with one of the highest
64. 2:39profile u.s. athletes saying I got held
65. 2:42up at gunpoint on the streets of Rio
66. 2:45what would you say to them now
67. 2:47how sorry I am
68. 2:50my deepest apologies
69. 2:53they put on a great games they did
70. 2:57everything the people
71. 3:00of Rio or Brazil the authorities
72. 3:04everyone there they put on a great games
73. 3:07and
74. 3:08my
75. 3:10immature intoxicated behavior
76. 3:13[Music]
77. 3:15tarnished that alone when you saw the
78. 3:17news coverage of Gunnar and Jack being
79. 3:20taken off that plane at the airport and
80. 3:22you knew when you've just said to me
81. 3:24they didn't damage anything you know in
82. 3:26that gas station and you're sitting at
83. 3:29home in the United States safe and sound
84. 3:32how did it make you feel hurt I mean I I
85. 3:39let my team down and
86. 3:42you know I
87. 3:45wanted to be there like I don't want
88. 3:48them to think that I left em and left
89. 3:52them to dry because I mean there were my
90. 3:55teammates I wanted to definitely be
91. 3:56there
92. 3:57and I wanted to help out any way I could
93. 4:00and so I just wanted to make sure that
94. 4:02they were home safe before I came out
95. 4:05and talked in you know I'm just really
96. 4:09sorry about I'm embarrassed
97. 4:12for myself my family especially those
98. 4:16guys the USA Swimming
99. 4:18the whole Olympic Games um everyone
100. 4:21watching
101. 4:23it's just I
102. 4:27was immature and I made a stupid mistake
103. 4:30I'm human I made a mistake and I
104. 4:33definitely learned from this
105. 4:35we mentioned a little bit before the IOC
106. 4:38still investigating this the chief
107. 4:40executive of the USOC Scott blackness
108. 4:42that we are going to have further action
109. 4:45on this not exactly sure what he means
110. 4:47by that you can never look inside
111. 4:48someone's heart but he sure does seem
112. 4:50like he gets it now and it's really
113. 4:53sorry there's no question about that
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