Poll Of The Week: Was The Punishment From USA Swimming of Ryan Lochte Too Harsh?

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This is the Poll Of The Week for Friday, September 30th, 2016 sponsored by Strechcordz Swim Training Products. In our last poll, we wanted to know: Was The Punishment From USA Swimming of Ryan Lochte Too Harsh?

The results are in and…

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Here are the answers:

YES (55%)

NO (45%)

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Robert Burley
7 years ago

No! He is a representative of the US, and he embarrassed himself, but more importantly the United States. He should have been banished for good!

Judi s
7 years ago
Reply to  Robert Burley

Amen.Symptom of an unfocused athlete. When so may want the Olympic experience. Take only those who have their poop in a group.

Peter Scott
7 years ago
Reply to  Robert Burley

You sound like you wish he had been shot

Favi Godfrey
7 years ago

stop this for goodness sake!! focus on the dangerous liars like hillary!!

Thomas Inwood
7 years ago
Reply to  Favi Godfrey

Haha. Well said

Gii NO
7 years ago
Reply to  Favi Godfrey

…i guess you didn’t understand the question. It was asking about Lochte.

Favi Godfrey
7 years ago
Reply to  Favi Godfrey

exactly… drop it!

Peter Scott
7 years ago
Reply to  Favi Godfrey

No don’t focus on Hilary this is a swimming related site not political. Nothing to do with you personal political preferences or dislikes

José Antonio
7 years ago

I think they were.

Cindy Rivas Frakes
7 years ago

Let it go!

Fred Tremblay
7 years ago

Nope

Nestor Moran
7 years ago

No

Rick Stanfield
7 years ago

Yes. While it is true he embarrassed USA Swimming and himself, he lied only about the severity of the robbery and not the robbery itself. Considering he didn’t straighten out what really happened, I had called for 3-6 months w 6 being most along w community service. I still think they all should do a PSA about public intoxication for USA Swimming. It’s silly for people calling for lifetime bans and giving up his medals and such. If he received all the above, he would possible accomplish something positive for younger swimmers. Banning him and such is ridiculous. He neither harmed anyone or took any type of performance enhancing drugs.

Laura M Wanco
7 years ago

YES YES YES ABSOLUTELY TO MUCH

Pablo Valedon
7 years ago

The punishment doesn’t fit the crime. However, he did deserve some type of sanction. Not 10 months maybe 6 to four and suspension from world’s and national competition.
He should be allowed to make a living while on suspension, he is a proathlete.Besides , he’s lost plenty of money, in endorsements

Kenneth Mac Donald
7 years ago

if you a crime do your time ……..

Kris
Kris
7 years ago

I don’t thinking the question was whether Lochte should acquiesce to the punishment (he’s already said he accepts it), but whether the punishment itself was to harsh for the offense committed.

Kris
Kris
7 years ago

I agree with the results of the poll. My opinion is that the punishment was too harsh.

Lynette Besonday-Washburn

No not at all. He is an embarrassment

Mary Francis
7 years ago

No, he was an idiot to get drunk in the first place and then try and bend the truth to make himself look better.

June Vyse Gravener
7 years ago

No

Peter Scott
7 years ago

What punishment did the ones doing the threatening with the guns get??? None??? Well, lets see…the guy pissing in a bush behind a building and damaging a cheap poster gets 10months ban. Seems to me like the victim is getting punished here!!! Far too much acceptance of guns in good old USA and an out of proportion response from international media and Rio authorities creaming this for all it’s worth.

Peter Scott
7 years ago

For all those in good old USA they should now be changing the laws to punish all those who are threatened by guns. Yes punish the victims.
The ones that should be punished are getting away with it, the ones with the guns. If Lochte had been shot would he get a bigger ban?? With some of the logic expressed here it seems like he might well have been given a bigger ban…….really lucky he wasn’t shot wasn’t it!

Erin Stoner
7 years ago

No too harsh. He’s already lost his endorsements maybe a few months but this is a bit much. I think some public service of helping people learn to swim or encourage swimmers or speaking to kids that he is wrong but let him get his life back on track.

Tammy Lamaster
7 years ago

Way to harsh

Ramona Rebeck
7 years ago

Way too harsh. Absurd.

Carlton Fancher
7 years ago

Absolutely

Joe Meyer
7 years ago

A suspension is laughable

Cuyler Gabriel
7 years ago

He can compete at Worlds next year…no it is not to harsh!

Linda Engledow
7 years ago

Absolutely! He was fined. He admitted his guilt. He said he had been drinking and made stupid decisions. Well let’s add the following to his punishment…Obama invited all medalists to the White House, not Lochte. All medalists were given $100.000., but not Lochte. He lost most if not all of his sponsors. Most importantly, didn’t kill anyone. So, now if anyone thinks this man didn’t suffer enough for his mistake. You’re not even worth a reply.

Marlene Beyer
7 years ago

I disagree. Alcohol is a performance enhancing drugs as evidenced by his behavior. Let’s not forget the ripping off the wall of the wooden poster. Who does that for fun ? And the apology ( what apology?) Was lame. Never resonated as being sincere. I never heard him express any sympathy for his three companions or an apology of any kind. All about Ryan.

Pete
Pete
7 years ago
Reply to  Marlene Beyer

I’ve never heard of someone swimming, running, etc faster while being intoxicated. I don’t think there is any evidence that alcohol increases athletic performance. I disagree about his apology being insincere. It sounded sincere to me. A difference of opinion, I suppose. But you are just plain wrong about sympathy and apologies for the other three swimmers. He has expressed both in writing and verbally more than once. He’s also offered to pay Feigan’s $11,000 donation to Brazil.

Peter Scott
7 years ago

Media was way out of control. I read headlines including the following: “Gunner Bentz says Lochte is full of shit!” Well indeed I did read the article…and surprise, surprise…nowhere was Bentz quoted as actually having said anything remotely like this! Thos was pure and simple trial by main stream and social media at its worst.

María
María
7 years ago
Reply to  Peter Scott

I agree the media blew this WAY, WAY out of proportion. They even reported some things that were verifiably untrue, such as the bathroom vandalism reported by the Rio police. As far as I know, none of them have made or printed retractions. I have to wonder if people really care about lying at all. If they are so outraged about Lochte’s exaggerations, then doesn’t it follow that one would also be even more outraged about the Rio police’s outright lie? Especially since a police department is a government entity (a heavily armed entity) with tremendous power that is meant to serve the people and is held to much, much, much higher standards than Olympic athletes.

I remember that article. I remember thinking, “Whoa! Lochte is about to be exposed for his lies.” And like you, I read the article; and all it did was show a generic statement given by Bentz that actually mostly backed up Lochte’s claims. The title almost directly contradicts the article. So strange. Bentz even stated that they didn’t stop pointing the guns at them until they handed them the cash. So his statement was basically confirming that a robbery took place.

Gary
Gary
7 years ago

We have some, let’s say, prominent people in this country (the US of A), who are the most prolific and disgraceful liars I’ve ever seen, and a great many of us fully accept the lying, the corruption, as it is part of their group. I am embarrassed by them.

I am not defending Lochte because I am a swimmer. I do not know if his punishment is fair or not (but probably not), but all he did was embarrass himself and somewhat his country and swim team. He wasn’t trying to enrich himself or hurt anybody; it was a simple mistake.

Compare Lochte’s lie to the behavior of our current most prominent citizens and it doesn’t even register in parts per million. Compare Lochte’s behavior (and apology) to rich athletes who do not respect our country or the wealth it has allowed them, and it doesn’t even register. Compare Lochte’s attitude to that of a basketball team owner who sees justification and nobility in disrespecting the flag for what are despicable reasons, and it looks pretty damn good. And I may be under exagerrating.

Mariana Vayanas
7 years ago

Yes! Insane for being held up at gun point and robbed!

Alexander Gomez
7 years ago

Yes!

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