There are two sides to every story. And Jimmy Feigen is totally sticking with Ryan Lochte’s in his tale of being robbed at gunpoint in Rio — even if their fellow teammates have folded. Jimmy has Ryan’s back, as authorities poke holes in his claims. See how Jimmy defended Ryan here.
Following a press conference on Aug. 18, where Brazilian authorities addressed the factuality of 32-year-old Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte’s story, Jimmy Feigen, 26, has made it clear he is standing by his teammate’s word. Jimmy maintains that he, Ryan, and their fellow teammates, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, were truly held up at gunpoint and robbed at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 14, on their way back to the Olympic Village.
“We were robbed at gunpoint. It sounds like people assume we’re guilty,” the swimmer said to the San Antonio Express News on Aug. 18. However, Jack and Gunnar, who were recently detained on a plane heading back to the U.S., admitted to reporters that the robbery story was “fabricated.” Uh-oh.
At the press conference, the Brazilian police chief, Fernando Veloso, addressed Jimmy and Ryan’s claims. Though they could confirm that the athletes were held at gunpoint — with a legal weapon — the robbery part of the story just wasn’t true.
“Right now they [police] can affirm that there were no robberies the way it was reported or claimed by the athletes. They [athletes] were not victims of the criminal actions they reported,” Fernando said. However, Fernando did say they had not concluded the investigation.
See photos of Ryan Lochte & Michael Phelps — SEE PICS
The conference came only a few hours after TMZ released a CCTV video of Ryan, Jimmy, Jack and Gunnar at the gas station they had claimed to be at. The video revealed the group exiting the gas station’s bathroom and the gas station’s employees coming toward them. It is hard to make out the men, who appear to be putting their hands up, while some of them get down on the ground, and one (reported to be Ryan) remains standing. The group was reportedly forced to pay for damages they allegedly caused to the gas station.
“One or all of them might be charged for false communication of a crime and for damaging private assets, the gas station,” the Brazilian police chief said. “I’m not saying that they are charged right now because of that.” Fernando stated they, “need to finalize the investigation” before anyone is charged. Hopefully, we find out what really happened soon.
HollywoodLifers, do you believe Ryan now that Jimmy is sticking with him? Let us know below.
