Olympics

Ryan Lochte is going to get punished by the USOC ... but sources connected with the 4 swimmers don't think it's fair for the organization to annihilate them to appease those who are out for blood.

Lochte's lawyer, Jeff Ostrow, tells TMZ he has faith in the USOC and that the organization will punish Lochte in a manner that matches his conduct during the drunken Brazilian escapade. Ostrow would not say more.

Michael Phelps' punishment for his 2 DUIs is unquestionably relevant. The reality is ... but for the grace of God, Phelps could have killed an innocent person while driving drunk. After his second DUI in 2014, the USOC imposed a 6-month suspension.

The org. did not strip Phelps of his medals or keep him from competing in the 2016 Olympics.

As for Lochte and crew, they were drunk as well, but none got behind the wheel. Our sources say worst-case scenario ... Lochte damaged a sign outside a gas station bathroom and peed on the grass.

As for the "lies" -- our sources are adamant ... he and the other swimmers were taken out of a cab at gunpoint and ordered to turn over hundreds of dollars ... classic robbery. The sources acknowledge the swimmers were deceptive by implying they were pulled over in a moving cab.

Bottom line ... sources connected with the 4 swimmers say a 6-month suspension would be harsh given Phelps' punishment, but could still be justified. Anything more, they say, is just vengeance to appease the media and the public.

Team USA swimmer Jimmy Feigen says Brazilian officials tried to shake him down following the gas station incident in Rio ... demanding more than $46,000 to let him leave the country.

Feigen just spelled out the situation in a statement through his lawyer -- saying on the day he was scheduled to leave Rio -- hell broke loose at a Brazilian courthouse.

Billy Bush says Matt Lauer did NOT bigfoot him out of the coveted first sit-down interview with Ryan Lochte ... telling TMZ Sports it was Lochte who called the shots.

Carmelo Anthony is the single greatest Olympic basketball player in history ... so says his Knicks teammate Brandon Jennings ... who says Melo is no doubt the international GOAT.

We got Brandon out in L.A. Sunday and asked about Anthony taking home his record-breaking 3rd gold medal ... and if it puts him ahead of other greats who've donned the red, white, and blue.

Brandon says Melo has done more than enough to prove he's the MAN on the world's biggest stage.

One thing's for sure ... Michael Jordan is gonna be annoyed by this.

Oh, and get this ... Jennings also explains why he has ZERO desire to play for Team USA.

Swimmer Jimmy Feigen's nearly $11k deal to avoid a Rio jail could backfire against future Team USA Olympians.

TMZ has learned Feigen's $10,800 donation has been tagged to spruce up training facilities for the Reaction Institute in the Rio favela known as City of God. Specifically, we're told the money is going to help fix walls and prevent weather damage to judo equipment.

That equipment is used to give children from the favelas judo training, and put them on the road to becoming Olympians -- who might one day whoop-up on American judo fighters. Brazil's judo gold medalist this year, Rafaela Silva, once trained at the Institute ... so it has a good track record.

As we reported, Feigen struck a deal with prosecutors in Rio ... who agreed to let him off the hook, if he made the donation.

Ryan Lochte seems genuinely remorseful about his behavior in Rio ... and he not only says he was irresponsible when it came to excessive drinking ... he's not ruling out rehab.

Our photog got Ryan in L.A. Monday, and he had a lot to say ... about Speedo firing him, how being suspended by the USOC would crush him, and what he'll do post-pool.

Ryan Lochte just lost one of his biggest sponsors -- with Speedo pulling the plug on the swimmer in the wake of his embarrassing Rio bathroom debacle.

The mankini company just issued a statement saying, "While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for."

"We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience."

Speedo also says it will donate a $50,000 portion of Lochte's fees to Save The Children -- a charity which will use the money to benefit children in need in Brazil.

Ryan Lochte is one week into his Olympic lie, and he still doesn't understand what he did.

Lochte told Matt Lauer the Rio gas station folks were out of line to point a gun at his head because he did nothing wrong.

As we all now know ... Lochte and his crew damaged the bathroom and were leaving without paying, and gas station security claim they brandished the weapon so the swimmers didn't leave until cops arrived.

File Under: "Perks of Being a Winner" ... 'cause EVERY. SINGLE. AMERICAN ATHLETE who won a medal in Rio is being offered a FREE gold grill ... courtesy of rapper Paul Wall.

Ryan Lochte fought back tears as he confessed ... he screwed over his teammates by going nuts at a Rio gas station and then lying about it.

Matt Lauer asked Lochte about the difficulties fellow swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger had when they tried getting out of Rio ... Lochte seems way more contrite than he did in his statement where he hedged on fault.

Ryan Lochte has plenty of staunch defenders left -- including police officers -- behind the gates of his Charlotte neighborhood ... TMZ has learned.

The embattled swimmer flew back Wednesday to the Carolina town where he now lives, and sources in his hood tell us Charlotte PD has at least two patrol cars dedicated to keeping haters, fans and media away from Lochte.

We're told police are posted at the security gate entrance, and there's another patrol car cruising the blocks around Lochte's house.

One source told us the Homeowner's Association is also keeping an eye on Ryan's place, and officers -- of the HOA, that is -- have banned interlopers for up to 99 years!

We're told there's been no sign of Ryan at the house since he got back to the States.

Ryan Lochte was not the only swimmer who lied to the U.S. Olympic Committee about the so-called "robbery." TMZ has learned all 4 of them told the same false tale.

An official from the USOC tells us the Committee interviewed Lochte as well as Jimmy Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger Sunday and all 4 told the exact same lie -- that they were in a cab when robbers posing as armed cops stopped their cab and demanded cash.

We're also told the 4 swimmers were interviewed individually, so they had clearly gone over their story beforehand.

TMZ reported Sunday ... an IOC official told us when they issued the initial denial of the incident occurred they were relying on the USOC, but the USOC official says they did indeed interview the 4 swimmers Sunday and they all told the story Lochte ended up telling on TV.

Ryan Lochte is finally doing a mea culpa for the lie he told on NBC that's become an international incident ... but he kind of doubled down on the version of events he told cops.

Lochte just posted ... "I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend -- for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics. I waited to share these thoughts until it was confirmed that the legal situation was addressed and it was clear that my teammates would be arriving home safely."

Lochte continues ... "It's traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country - with a language barrier - and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave, but regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that I am sorry to my teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors, and the hosts of this great event."

He goes on to say he's proud to rep the USA in Olympic competition and this was a situation that could and should have been avoided.

He adds, "I accept responsibility for my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons. I am grateful for my USA Swimming teammates and the USOC, and appreciate all of the efforts of the IOC, the Rio '16 Host Committee, and the people of Brazil who welcomed us to Rio and worked so hard to make sure that these Olympic Games provided a lifetime of great new memories."

"There has already been too much said and too many valuable resources dedicated to what happened last weekend, so I hope we spend our time celebrating the great stories and performances of these Games and look ahead to celebrating future successes."

The statement is clearly crafted to thwart police efforts to have Lochte prosecuted. The biggest problem the swimmer faces ... going on TV, trashing the city by claiming armed men posed as cops robbed him as he was innocently taking a cab back to the Village.

Ryan Lochte told the U.S. Olympic Committee the same lie he told NBC, and he now faces possible discipline in addition to criminal charges ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Lochte and familiar with the situation tell us, Ryan repeated the story to USOC officials ... that he and his fellow swimmers were in a cab going back to the Olympic Village when men posing as cops robbed them and took their wallets.

The USOC and the IOC took heat Sunday after Lochte told the lie on TV. However, we're told once it heard the reports, the USOC got in touch with Ryan immediately, who said the story was untrue and the USOC passed that info to the IOC.

We've now learned after Lochte went on TV, USOC officials talked to him and he repeated the concocted story line and verse.

TMZ has also learned Lochte is preparing an apology to the U.S. and Brazil.

Talk about two guys STOKED to be home.

Here's Team USA swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz finally returning to the states ... after Brazilian officials pulled them off their homebound flight earlier this week.

Conger and Bentz were part of the Ryan Lochte party crew that allegedly vandalized a Rio gas station bathroom Sunday morning and then lied about it to police.

The two were interviewed by police -- but were ultimately allowed to fly home on Thursday.