It was not a typical homecoming for an Olympic gold medalist.
University of Georgia swimmer Gunnar Bentz touched back down on U.S. soil Friday, arriving at his Atlanta home in a black SUV with dark windows and slipping inside through a back door, avoiding reporters on the curb.
Then again, most Olympic medalists haven't helped touch off an international incident that nearly managed to overshadow the games themselves.
After several days of odd twists and turns, the drama — dubbed Lochtegate after 12-time medalist Ryan Lochte — showed signs of abating Friday.
One of the United States' best-known Olympians, Lochte apologized for his behavior during the now infamous early morning incident at a Rio de Janeiro gas station nearly a week ago. Yanked off a U.S.-bound flight by Brazilian authorities earlier in the week, Bentz and Texas swimmer Jack Conger returned home after answering police questions. The remaining swimmer, Jimmy Feigen, made a deal with a Brazilian judge to pay $10,800 to a charity to avoid prosecution. (The Associated Press reported Friday that Feigen's passport had been returned to him and he was free to leave Brazil.)
Bentz, a 20-year-old UGA junior who attended St. Pius X, has remained mum on the fiasco. Reached by phone by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, his father declined to comment and hung up.
Bentz made his Twitter account private after the controversy began to unfold. But updates he’d posted earlier illustrated how thrilled he was to be in Rio.
“Finally get to represent my country at the biggest stage tomorrow,” he tweeted on Aug. 8. The next day he retweeted UGA hero Herschel Walker, who wrote, “I want to congratulate all of the UGA Olympians! Watching you guys perform makes me proud to be a part of UGA!!”
He also retweeted the UGA Swim and Dive account’s post showing a photo of him marching behind standard bearer Michael Phelps during the opening ceremonies.
The incident has cast a shadow over what is a tremendous accomplishment for Bentz, a 6-foot-5 rising junior: He is the first male swimmer in UGA history to win an Olympic gold medal.
UGA has declined comment.
The drama began after Lochte said he, Bentz and two other American swimmers were robbed at gun point early Sunday morning. Not so, said Brazilian police. They said the athletes, fresh off a night of partying, vandalized the station bathroom and that Lochte became confrontational, causing one guard to draw his gun.
A videotape from the station showed the swimmers at the station but didn't show a robbery or a confrontation with guards.
Criminal charges were possible for vandalism or filing a false charge. But that seemed less likely Friday with all but one of the swimmers back on American soil.
Michael Griffith, a New York-based international criminal defense attorney called the charges "almost a joke." Griffith counts the subject of the film “Midnight Express” among his clients.
“These are not serious charges,” said Griffith, who lived in Buckhead and studied at John Marshall Law School in Atlanta.
He called the Brazilian police’s handling of the case a “payback” for the perceived embarrassment the swimmers caused them. Now that they are back on U.S. soil, Griffith said, the swimmers won’t face any consequences.
“I would be shocked dead -- No. 1 -- if Brazil made an extradition request,” Griffith said. “But I would be even 10 times more shocked, if the United States permitted it to go through.”
"What are we talking about here? We are talking about a broken toilet and a report, which they fudged?"
Lochte, a failed reality TV star who has lucrative endorsements, stood to lose the most. His early version of events had the would-be robbers holding a gun to his head. But that evolved. On Friday, he issued a statement apologizing for “not being more careful and candid” in describing what happened to him and fellow U.S. Swim Team members.
"It's traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country," wrote Lochte. Read the full text.
Back in Atlanta, there were some signs of celebration. Colorful congratulatory signs adorned the Bentz home.
And amid all the criticism, there were signs of support.
JP Vanderloo, who has appeared in movies including “Wish You Well” and “Singularity,” is a huge fan of the U.S. Swim Team. He tweeted a photo of Bentz's Olympic trials badge, a gift from the swimmer to the young artist.
"Thank you so much for your Olympic Trials Badge my favorite Trials souvenir!" he wrote.
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