Ryan Lochte’s Rio whopper is turning out to be quite costly for the Olympic swimmer.
Two more sponsors have cut ties with Lochte after reports that he fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint during the Olympic games in Brazil, bringing the total number of sponsors to break from Lochte this week to four.
Mattress company Airweave announced via Twitter on Monday afternoon that it was done with the swimmer.
“Airweave is a proud sponsor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams and our dedication to athletic achievement is unwavering,” the company’s statement read. “Our endorsement agreement with Ryan Lochte was in support of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. After careful consideration, we have made the decision to end our partnership with Ryan Lochte. We remain committed to supporting Team USA and the athletes preparing for the Paralympic games.”
Aesthetics company Syneron-Candela likewise gave Lochte the heave-ho on Monday.
“Syneron-Candela will be ending its partnership with Ryan Lochte,” the company said in a statement. “We hold our employees to high standards, and we expect the same of our business partners. We wish Ryan well on his future endeavors and thank him for the time he spent supporting our brand.”
The announcements came on the heels of Speedo and Ralph Lauren Polo severing their ties with the swimmer.
During the games in Brazil, Lochte claimed that he and three fellow U.S. swimmers competing in the Olympics were robbed at gunpoint. But local authorities soon countered that the athletes had actually been stopped by armed security guards and accused of vandalizing a gas station restroom. Lochte, who is back in the U.S. now, has hired a crisis PR expert to try to save his reputation.
On Saturday, the swimmer, whose teammates also came under scrutiny in Brazil for allegedly vandalizing the gas station and lying to police, attempted to do damage control, telling NBC’s Matt Lauer that he “over-exaggerated” the story
airweave’s official statement regarding sponsorship of Ryan Lochte. pic.twitter.com/pFGzMSxnTR
— airweave USA (@airweaveUSA) August 22, 2016
“That’s why I’m taking full responsibility for it,” Lochte said. “I over-exaggerated this story, and if I hadn’t done that we wouldn’t be in this mess. It was my immature behavior.”
Lauer grilled Lochte on his conflicting stories. “The first version of the story you told, Ryan, was about the mean streets of Rio,” the “Today” show host reminded the swimmer. “The version we’re hearing now is a negotiated settlement … You’re striking a deal to pay for what damage you’ve caused so he doesn’t call the police.”
Lochte replied, “We just wanted to get out of there. There was a gun pointed in our direction — we were all frightened.”