The fallout over Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte’s behavior at the 2016 games in Rio continues, with Ralph Lauren announcing Monday that it would not renew its contract with Lochte.
“Ralph Lauren continues to proudly sponsor the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team and the values that its athletes embody,” the company said in a statement. “Ralph Lauren’s endorsement agreement with Ryan Lochte was specifically in support of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the company will not be renewing his contract.”
The news comes following Speedo’s announcement that it had severed ties with Lochte.
In its own statement Monday, Speedo said that it “cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for.”
“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,” the company said on Twitter.
During the games in Brazil, Lochte claimed that he and three fellow U.S. swimmers competing in the Olympics were robbed at gunpoint. But Brazilian authorities soon countered that the athletes had actually been stopped by armed security guards and accused of vandalizing a gas station restroom. Lochte, who is back in the U.S. now, has hired a crisis PR expert to try to save his reputation.
Lochte is also sponsored by Japanese mattress company Airweave.
On Saturday, the swimmer, whose teammates also came under scrutiny in Brazil for allegedly vandalizing the gas station and lying to police, attempted to do damage control, telling NBC’s Matt Lauer that he “over-exaggerated” the story.
“That’s why I’m taking full responsibility for it,” Lochte said. “I over-exaggerated this story, and if I hadn’t done that we wouldn’t be in this mess. It was my immature behavior.”
Lauer grilled Lochte on his conflicting stories. “The first version of the story you told, Ryan, was about the mean streets of Rio,” Lauer reminded the swimmer. “The version we’re hearing now is a negotiated settlement… You’re striking a deal to pay for what damage you’ve caused so he doesn’t call the police.”
Lochte replied, “We just wanted to get out of there. There was a gun pointed in our direction — we were all frightened.”