Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Ryan Lochte, whose fabricated tale of being pulled over and robbed at gunpoint in Rio has cost him some lucrative endorsement deals, will be in front of cameras in Los Angeles in coming weeks, thanks to a new sponsorship deal announced Thursday by a Southern California company.
Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops, based in Simi Valley, announced that Lochte will appear in a series of print ads and a commercial, with the theme “Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops: Forgiving on Your Throat.”
The ads will be shot in Los Angeles in the next few weeks, according to the company.
“We all make mistakes, but they’re rarely given front-page scrutiny,” Pine Bros. CEO Rider McDowell said. “He’s a great guy who has done incredible work with charities. I’m confident that Pine Bros. fans will support our decision to give Ryan a second chance.”
Four companies — most notably swimwear manufacturer Speedo — have dropped their endorsements of Lochte in the aftermath of his troubles in Rio. Lochte claimed in a national television interview that he and three other swimmers were pulled over and robbed at gunpoint. But authorities later said there was no such robbery. Lochte and three other swimmers were caught on surveillance camera at a gas station getting into a cab and being detained by a gun-wielding security guard because they had caused some damage at the station.
They wound up paying about $50 to cover the damage and were allowed to leave.
Lochte later apologized, saying he had “exaggerated” the incident.
Lochte, who won a gold medal in Rio as part of the 200-meter freestyle relay team. Rumors have surfaced in recent days that Lochte will be a contestant on the next season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
–City News Service