Last week, I commented on U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas’ unfair criticism and the classless post-loss comments of U.S. women’s soccer goalie Hope Solo.
Little did we know that swimmer Ryan Lochte would embarrass America even worse than Solo or Douglas’ detractors.
Lochte and three swim team members drunkenly broke a bathroom door at a Rio de Janeiro gasoline station (with state-of-the-art video surveillance) and found themselves confronted by a security guard.
They coughed up some cash on the spot. Call it a shakedown or their only chance to avoid jail, but do not call it armed robbery – which is what Lochte did.
And he said the robbers were dressed like police. And he said a gun was pressed against his head. And he said they took cash, but left them their cellphones and passports.
All the statements were lies – and he left his teammates in Rio to deal with the fallout after he fled back to America and they were detained.
Not shockingly, some members of the media were still defending Lochte’s boorish behavior and flat-out lies as his unreal tale began unraveling.
On Monday, Billy Bush of the TODAY show still questioned the Rio police version of the story while on XM Radio. He said if the swimmers were treated the same way in America for vandalism and drunken behavior, we would be outraged.
Hey, Billy. If affluent white guys were treated this way in America, there probably would be outrage. It’s called “white privilege.”
If four black guys, affluent or not, were in the same situation, they’d end up in jail or worse. It’s called “Livin’ in America.”
Bush said last Friday on TODAY that Lochte only “embellished” the story and defended Lochte. The usually jovial Al Roker had heard enough and called Bush out when a heated argument ensued.
“He didn’t embellish. He lied,” Roker said with a raised voice.
Lochte will pay a price, thank goodness. He lost all four of his major sponsors on Monday, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren Corp.
Hopefully, major endorsement deals are in the works for four-time gold medal winner gymnast Simone Biles, the star of the Rio Olympics. Sorry, Michael Phelps.
American boxer Claressa Shields should hopefully cash in too. She defended her London 2012 gold in the women’s middleweight division by beating Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands. She is the first U.S. boxer, male or female, to win two Olympic gold medals.
As for Douglas, she will serve as a judge for the 2017 Miss America competition.
“Miss America has been such an amazing event for so many years, and I am excited to have the opportunity to judge the competition this year,” Douglas, 20, said in a statement to E! News. “The contestants are a great example of strong women across America, and I especially look forward to hearing the platforms that each of them will represent!”
HBCU athletes excel in Rio
Jeff Henderson trailed Luvo Manyonga of South Africa as he prepared for his final attempt in the Rio Olympics long jump.
The Stillman College product knew the gold medal was on the line – and he sailed 27 feet and 5.5 inches to top Manyonga by a centimeter.
“I knew it. I knew it was far: ‘Okay, this is over.’ I knew I won the competition after that jump,” he said.
Henderson’s mother is battling Alzheimer’s disease. “When I place that medal in her hands, I’ll be crying,” Henderson said.
“She’s still fighting; she’s still living. That’s the only thing that matters right now.”
Hampton’s Francena McCorory won her second Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meter relay – although she was not a member of the four-member team that won the final race.
She earned Olympic gold by running the pressure-packed qualifying heat the night before the final medal race.
Allyson Felix anchored the team of Courtney Okolo, Natasha Hastings and Phyllis Francis to the gold-medal six-peat in 3:19.06. Jamaica finished second in 3:20.34 for the silver medal
Felix and McCorory also competed on the 2012 Olympic relay team that won gold in London.
McCorory said on Instagram, “I came, I saw, I conquered! Two-time Olympic GOLD medalist! I’m so BLESSED! #2012 #2016…”
Jackson State graduate and two-time Olympian Michael Tinsley qualified in the 400-meter hurdles. While he did not win a medal, he won a Silver in London in 2012.
Christina Epps, a Coppin State graduate, qualified for her first Olympics with a triple jump of 46 feet, 6 inches at the U.S. Track and Field trials. She did not win a medal in Rio.
Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows. His Twitter handle is @aareid1
