FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – After being summarily canned by a handful of high profile sponsors for his alleged robbery shenanigans in Rio, Ryan Lochte is now pitching for Robocopp, a company that makes handheld “sound grenades” to alert people of danger.
The timing and the company itself does not seem to be any coincidence for the 12-time Olympic medalist. As Lochte notes at the beginning of a video he posted on social media, “I’ve been traveling a lot lately. We all like to have fun, but it’s a good idea to stay safe.”
Excited to partner with @ROBOCOPPUSA pic.twitter.com/vjbAA4HiKN
— Ryan Lochte (@RyanLochte) August 30, 2016
The endorsement deal comes after Lochte was involved in a controversial incident at Rio 2016 when he gave a false account of being robbed at gunpoint by men posing as police officers at the end of a night out. Police accounts of the incident suggest that Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers were in fact approached by security guards after causing damage to a petrol station bathroom.
As a result of the episode, the 32-year-old was dropped by major sponsors Polo, Ralph Lauren, Speedo and mattress company Airweave.
