Michael Phelps knows what it takes to make a comeback after falling out of public favor, and he thinks Ryan Lochte can make it happen.
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Lochte was caught in an Olympic-sized lie after he made a false robbery claim while in Rio competing.
“Ryan and I have been teammates forever and it’s always hard to see a friend and a competitor going through a hard time like this — I know what it feels like. I’ve been through it before,” Phelps told People.
Phelps is no stranger to headline scandals. After making a name for himself at the 2012 Olympics in London, he got two DUIs and faced backlash from a photo that showed him inhaling from what looked like a marijuana pipe.
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Now that Lochte is facing his own hardships, Phelps explained that he’s just trying to be there for his longtime teammate.
“Hopefully he can come out of this a better person,” Phelps said. “I’ve reached out to him a couple times, and I think he understands a lot. He will be able to grow from this.”
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It’s definitely not going to be an easy road to recovery for Lochte, though. Most of his endorsements have pulled the plug on him, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren. He’s also been summoned back to Brazil as the investigation into his fabricated story continues.
Do you think Lochte can eventually make a comeback or are his mistakes worse than Phelps’ scandals?
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