NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Lochte has a new sponsor — Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops — that says people should give the swimmer “a second chance” after he fell from corporate grace following a drunken incident during the Rio Olympics he tried to pass off as a robbery.
Four major sponsors, including Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren, dumped Lochte on Monday, determining they no longer wanted their brands associated with the swimmer.
But Pine Bros. said Thursday that people should be more understanding and forgiving of the Lochte. He will appear in ads that say the company’s products are “Forgiving On Your Throat.”
Lochte claimed he and three other U.S. swimmers were robbed in Rio de Janeiro after their taxi was pulled over by armed men posing as police. However, video later emerged that suggested the four got into a confrontation with armed security guards after vandalizing a gas station restroom.
Lochte has apologized, saying he was drunk and that his behavior led to the incident.
Brazilian police, however, don’t appear to be as forgiving as Pine Bros. On Thursday they announced that they had charged Lochte with filing a false robbery report.
Lochte had no comment on the charges or the new sponsorship, his spokeswoman Melissa Nathan said.
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