If there’s more foolproof way of working yourself out of major diplomatic snafus than showering the offended party with cash, we’d damn well like to know about it.
James Feigen, one of three US swimmers not named Ryan Lochte embroiled in this weird-as-hell Rio robbery saga, has reportedly paid 35,000 reais – about AU $14K – to an unnamed Brazilian charity in order to settle the case.
According to the athlete’s lawyer, “after this donation is done, his passport will be given back to him, and he will be free to return home.”
Feigen had been indicted by the Brazilian feds over the false robbery tale Lochte trotted out. Of course, CCTV footage today revealed the group hadn’t been robbed at gunpoint as Lochte claimed, and the man himself has hired a crisis publicist to deal with the fallout.
The US Olympic Committee has words for Feigen & Co., too. They reckon “the behaviour of these athletes is not acceptable, nor does it represent the values of Team USA.“
FWIW, US athletes nab themselves a US $25K payout for every gold medal they snag. Since Feigen was part of the States’ winning 4x100m freestyle relay team, he’s essentially cut his paycheque in half.
Bummer for him.
Source: BBC.
Photo: Streeter Lecka / Getty.
