Olympic Swimmer Ryan Lochte Admits To ‘Serious Alcohol Addiction’
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte now admits that he has been struggling with alcohol for some time and is ready to seek help. Lochte was married recently and has a 7-month-old baby and believes it’s time he’s addressed his problem.
PageSix says that this week, the police were called to the Newport Beach, California where Lochte was staying after he was seen trying to kick down the door in a “drunken stupor.”
The next day his lawyer, Jeff Ostrow, released a statement saying that Lochte was taking the matter seriously.
“Ryan has been battling from alcohol addiction for many years and unfortunately it has become a destructive pattern for him. He has acknowledged that he needs professional assistance to overcome his problem and will be getting help immediately.”
Lochte, 34, has hopes of returning to the Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, so it’s critical that he gets himself sorted now. The bigger concern with Lochte was his behavior while in Rio for the last Summer Olympic games when he was detained by the Brazilian police in a robbery and vandalism incident while intoxicated. Lochte was arrested and he was suspended for 10 months from the United States Swimming Association.
Ryan Lochte will be seeking treatment for alcohol addiction as "it has become a destructive pattern." https://t.co/mYr5G6FWRU pic.twitter.com/fp75vrMOUT
— E! News (@enews) October 5, 2018
PageSix reports that in August, Lochte spent $12,000 on alcohol at his bachelor party in Las Vegas at Hakkasan, including champagne, tequila, and vodka, provided in bottles at the VIP tables.
If Ryan Lochte has any hope of winning gold and returning home with major endorsements following the 2020 games, he will need to do the hard work now. Lochte had an average showing in Rio and then was arrested, tossing out any chance he had of capitalizing on his Olympic performance, and he was dropped by many of the companies who were already working with him.
After Lochte and some of his teammates caused what amounted to an international incident in Rio, Speedo, Ralph Lauren, and Gentle Hair Removal parted ways with Lochte.
Speedo released a statement after the IOC sought to punish Lochte for lying to the organization after he was arrested.
“While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for. We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience.”
After the 2016 Olympics, Lochte was down to one endorsement deal, a Japanese mattress company, who has decided to stick with him.
