The Ryan Lochte Olympic robbery saga has finally entered its final act.
On Friday, the U.S. swimmer released a carefully crafted apology via Instagram for a bizarre incident in Rio, in which he claimed he was robbed at gunpoint by fake police officers during a drunken night out.
It is now known the swimmer fabricated at least part of the story. Lochte has issued a detailed apology for his behavior that not only led to a huge amount of wasted police resources but also created a never-ending news cycle about his actions.
SEE ALSO:Why it matters if Ryan Lochte lied about being robbed in Rio
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Lochte, who won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics, was involved in the incident early Sunday morning along with three of his teammates -- Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger -- while traveling from a party to the Olympic Village in a taxi.
The four men recounted a story of a roadside robbery, in which Lochte said he had a gun pointed at his head and his money stolen.
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"They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn't do anything wrong, so — I'm not getting down on the ground," Lochte saidin an interview with Today.
"And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, 'Get down,' and I put my hands up, I was like 'whatever.' He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials."
U.S. swimmers James Feigen (top L), Ryan Lochte (top R) Gunnar Bentz (bottom L) and Jack Conger, who were involved in the strange tale.Credit: AFP/Getty Images
It turns out, after days of investigations by Brazilian authorities, that Lochte and friends did indeed have a gun pulled on them but it was by a guard at a gas station and it was after they had vandalized the property. The guard, according to Brazil authorities, demanded money for damage the group caused to a sign.
"No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed," Rio's Civil Police Chief Fernando Veloso said Thursday.
On Friday, Lochte called the situation "traumatic," and said should have been more "candid and careful" in how he described the events that occurred in the early morning incident. He apologized to the people of Brazil, the sponsors, his teammates and his fans.
"It's traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country -- with a language barrier -- and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave," he said, referring to the actual events that night.
The scene of the bizarre incident.Credit: Getty Images
Now, we can finally watch the closing ceremony in peace.