SAN ANTONIO, TX – JULY 16: Ryan Lochte talks with the media during the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Training Camp Media Day on July 16, 2016 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Remember Ryan Lochte, the American swimmer who became the center of controversy at last summer’s Rio Olympics after he claimed he was robbed at gunpoint?

Well, criminal charges were initially filed against Lochte for filing a false report, and we hadn’t heard a whole lot about what happened with those charges over the last year. That is, until this week, when the charges against Lochte were dismissed by a Brazilian appellate court.

Via USA Today:

An appellate court in Brazil has dismissed a criminal case against U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte, concluding that Lochte did not break the law in exaggerating the details of an incident at a gas station during the Rio Olympics in August.

The charges were dismissed because the NBC interview where Lochte admitted what actually happened was not considered a false report by the Brazilian authorities.

An appeals court on Thursday reversed that decision, 2-1, ruling that Brazilian law was not broken because Rio police had initiated the investigation, not Lochte. Whatever Lochte said in the interview with NBC did not constitute a false report, the court concluded. The decision has not yet been published and prosecutors have 15 days to decide whether they will challenge the ruling.

“We are pleased that the court has finally dismissed the criminal prosecution against Mr. Lochte, while at the same time, appropriately recognizing that he committed no crime. It has been a long year, but in the end, justice prevailed,” said Jeff Ostrow, Lochte’s Florida-based attorney, in a statement to USA TODAY Sports on Friday.

The embarrassing incident had a dramatic impact on Lochte’s career in the following months, as he was banned for 10 months by USA Swimming, dropped by Speedo, and lost three more sponsorships. He also appeared on Dancing With The Stars and finished seventh, though his overall finish wasn’t the most notable thing to happen to him during his run on the show.

So, what’s next for Lochte? He and his fiancee had a baby boy in June, and he wants to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, despite the fact that he’ll turn 37 during those games and he competed in just one event (the 4×200 freestyle relay, which resulted in a gold medal) last summer in Rio. A possible appearance during the 2020 Games would be Lochte’s fifth at an Olympics.

[USA Today]

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.