Besides having a problem telling the truth, Ryan Lochte also appears to suffer from short-term memory loss.
The Olympic swimmer was at the Hard Rock Cafe in Midtown to promote his gig on season 23 of โDancing With the Stars,โ where heโs paired with Cheryl Burke.
Journalists were warned not to query Lochte about his escapades in Rio, so one reporter asked the relatively tame question, โWhat are you most excited about going on โDancing With the Stars?โ โ
The 32-year-old gold medalist (inset) happily replied that he was excited to be trading in his Speedos for a tuxedo.
An exasperated ABC flack quickly stepped in and explained to Lochte that the swimwear giant was no longer a sponsor, and therefore he could no longer mention them. The publicist asked that the quote not be used and even had the reporter erase it from their recording device.
When the journalist again asked the athlete what he was most excited about, he blithely replied: โIโm trading in my Speedos for my tuxedo!โ
Once again the publicist attempted to clarify to Lochte why he could no longer mouth the rhyming ditty.
The third time the reporter asked the disgraced athlete what he was most excited about, he crossly folded his arms like a petulant child and growled, โCheryl?โ
Lochteโs dance partner, Cheryl Burke, who had been standing there, looking like sheโd rather be anywhere else during the Abbott-and-Costello-inspired routine, was forced to answer the question.
During the Rio Olympics, Lochte had claimed that he and three other U.S. swimmers had been robbed at gunpoint after a party.
But a surveillance video showed that the athletes had actually vandalized a gas station bathroom and a security guard had pointed a gun while demanding payment for the damage.
After being caught out, Lochte admitted, โI overexaggerated that story, and if I had never done that we wouldnโt be in this mess.โ
Speedo was not the only sponsor to drop the controversial swimmer. Ralph Lauren, Airweave and Gentle Hair Removal also severed ties with Lochte.
