Sponsors Speedo, Ralph Lauren, Airweave and Gentle Hair Removal dumped Ryan Lochte. His mother, Ileana, had told reporters of the incident resulting in NBC’s Billy Bush nabbing Lochte on the beach.

Sports Illustrated and other media are pointing out that there would have been no coverage of the altercation between U.S. swimmers and armed guards Aug. 15 if Lochte’s mother had not met reporters on a bus.

Ileana Lochte told Fox Sports presenter Ben Way that her son had been “held up at gunpoint.” She then identified him as Ryan and Way “tweeted” that report.

NBC-TV Today Show’s Billy Bush, a nephew of President George H.W. Bush, then interviewed Lochte on the beach that morning who confirmed what his mother had said.

The tweet and Bush’s interview sent the story in to “mega-orbit,” said SI. More than a million stories, videos, takes and tweets flooded the airwaves. Loss of the sponsors was reported by the Washington Post and other media.

The Guardian, U.K., said Ileana “inadvertently” outed her own son on the story. Her remarks “led the International Olympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Brazilian police, the FBI, the U.S. State Department and the U.S. consulate in Rio to become involved and ultimately led to Ryan’s teammates getting detained at Rio airport.”

False Reports about Swimmers, Lochte’s Apology Hurt Him

Caught in the media firestorm, Lochte adopted a contrite pose in an interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer, saying he had “let down” his teammates and the Olympics.

He should have come out swinging. Trying to placate a gorilla who is about to eat you is not a good course of action.

While there were flaws in his initial description of the incident to his mother, which got tweeted worldwide, the facts are that guns were pointed at him and his three teammates and money was demanded before they would be allowed to leave. Holding someone against his or her will is kidnapping.

The armed prison guards, working off-duty at the gas station, have never been identified, much less interviewed.

False charges that the swimmers vandalized the bathroom were circulated when they never entered the bathroom. They relieved themselves in the rear of the gas station. At that point, Lochte tore down a “framed metal ad that was loosely anchored to the brick wall,” said swimmer Gunnar Bentz. That was the only damage the four swimmers did.

Money Was Extracted from Detained Swimmers

Statements of him and swimmer Jack Conger, posted on swimswam.com, confirmed that they were “yelled at” by guards and ordered at gun point to sit on the ground and that, with the help of a bystander who became an interpreter, they were told they could not leave until money had been paid.

Bentz gave them $20 and Feigen gave them 100 Reals, worth about $50. Only then did the guards lower their guns and allow them to leave.

Feigen, by paying the money, apparently admitted that “vandalism” had been done at the gas station. He made a $10,900 charitable contribution to the Reaction Institute, according to USA Today, but the Brazil Public Ministry asked for $46,800. A judge later set the amount at $10,900, which allowed Feigen to leave the country. The Public Ministry continues to seek the original amount, said USA Today.

The three swimmers have been indicted by Brazilian authorities on charges of falsifying a police report.