It's been quite a while since the whole country was watching Ryan Lochte, a one-time promising swimmer who self-destructed at the Rio Olympics. But it looks like Lochte hasn't changed much since those days. The athlete had one hell of a Thursday, getting into trouble on opposite sides of the country.
The cops showed up at Ryan Lochte's Orange County, California hotel room early on the morning of Oct. 4. He apparently had kicked in his hotel room door while drunk. TMZ reports that no charges were filed and Lochte settled with the hotel for the cost of the door.
Later that same day, Lochte was involved in a car accident in Gainesville, Florida. The gossip website reports that Lochte attempted to stop his Porsche but was too slow in applying the brakes. He rear-ended the car in front of him, and the driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Lochte was cited for careless driving.
Lochte's lawyer told TMZ that the swimmer has a substance abuse problem and is taking steps to overcome it.
"Ryan has been battling alcohol addiction for many years and unfortunately it has become a destructive pattern for him," attorney Jeff Ostrow said. "He has acknowledged that he needs professional assistance to overcome his problem and will be getting help immediately. "
"Ryan knows that conquering this disease now is a must for him to avoid making future poor decisions, to be the best husband and father he can be, and if he wants to achieve his goal to return to dominance in the pool in his 5th Olympics in Tokyo in 2020," he added.
