Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte is seeking treatment for alcoholism, his agent confirmed.
TMZ reported that early Thursday morning, Lochte had tried to kick in the door to his hotel room in Newport Beach, California. Police were called but no arrests were made. That night, Lochte was involved in a minor car accident and cited for careless driving, TMZ reported, though it is not known if alcohol was involved.
Lochte's agent, Jeff Ostrow, confirmed to People that the hotel incident took place, calling it a "minor nothing," but also said that Lochte would be receiving treatment for a years-long alcohol addiction. "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 fifth Olympics in Tokyo in 2020," Ostrow told TMZ.
During the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Lochte made headlines after falsely claiming he and fellow swimmers were robbed. Lochte and the team members were accused by local authorities of vandalizing a gas station. Lochte received a 10-month suspension from the United States Olympic Committee for that incident.
Ostrow told Sports Illustrated that Lochte still plans on competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The United States Anti-Doping Agency suspended Lochte from competition until July 2019 because he received an unauthorized IV infusion, Sports Illustrated reported.
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