Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte had suicidal thoughts after making international headlines last summer, according to a new interview with ESPN the Magazine.
“After Rio, I was probably the most hated person in the world. There were a couple of points where I was crying, thinking, ‘If I go to bed and never wake up, fine,’” Lochte told ESPN’s Allison Glock.
The six-time gold medal winner was referring to the scandal that rocked the 2016 Summer Olympics that resulted in him being suspended from competitive swimming for 10 months and losing multiples sponsors.
Last August during the Games in Rio, Lochte reported being robbed at gunpoint. It later came to light that he and three other teammates vandalized a gas station bathroom and then lied to officials. Lochte was charged with making false report of robbery and later suspended by the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming.
After the incident that was later dubbed Lochtegate, “I was about to hang up my entire life,” the 32-year-old said.
Lochte’s suspension lifts after next month’s world championships in Hungary, and now the swimmer is focusing on the Tokyo Summer Games and fatherhood. “Now I’ve found a new purpose with my son,” he said. “This fire has been ignited, and it’s bigger than ever, and I’m just so excited because I know what’s going to happen in Tokyo. Everyone is going to have to watch out!”
The “Dancing With the Star” alum’s first child with model Kayla Rae Reid is due in June.
Read the full interview in the ESPN World Fame 100 issue.