When it comes to Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps is prepared to help a brother out — as long as they keep it on the DL. HollywoodLife.com has learned EXCLUSIVELY that Michael wants to be there for Ryan, but only if they keep the arrangement hush-hush. Get the scoop here!
“Michael [Phelps] has talked to Ryan [Lochte] and will be glad to help him moving forward but he wants to do it with no media aspect to it at all,” a source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. “He wants to keep it silent that he is helping Ryan and keeping their conversations private is paramount for Michael moving forward. Michael doesn’t want any bad press.”
Ryan, 32, lost his Speedo USA sponsorship on Aug. 22, following the announcement that his story that he and other Team USA swimmers were robbed at gunpoint in Rio was “over-exaggerated.” This is a PRETTY big blow, seeing as the company is considered the world’s leading swimwear brand and had sponsored the 12-time Olympic medalist for over a decade.
HollywoodLife.com previously reported the EXCLUSIVE opinion of an expert, who said that Ryan could stand to lose millions in sponsorships, so being cut from Speedo may just be the beginning. That means having Michael, 31, help him out — even if it’s in secret — may be his only shot at a comeback.
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But how would his teammate really go about helping Ryan, anyways? Surviving scandals as an athlete is not easy, and this is a very odd situation, as Ryan made up a very serious lie and then stuck to the lie for a considerable amount of time, dragging down his teammates, Gunnar Bentz, Jimmy Feigen and Jack Conger with him. So, it looks like Michael might need to be a miracle worker to make this problem go away. In secret, of course.
HollywoodLifers, do you think Michael will be able to help Ryan out? Let us know below!