Ryan Lochte is in serious trouble. This time, it's with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The organization announced today that the Olympian swimmer is serving a 14-month sanction for his use of a prohibited method. And you want to know how the athlete was caught? By his own Instagram. That's how. Whoops. Back in May, the swimmer posted a social media photo where he was receiving an intravenous infusion of substances that were subsequently frowned upon by the agency. Now, because of that social media snafu, the USADA held an investigation and Lochte will not be allowed to swim professionally for over a year. Let the lesson here be simple: be careful what you post on social media. Here's what we know about Ryan Lochte's recent suspension, and here's what we know about USADA's investigation.
In their official statement, the USADA claims Ryan Lochte received an infusion of permitted substances at an infusion clinic in "a volume greater than 100 mL in a 12-hour period without a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)." Which seemingly suggests that the substance that Lochte acquired wasn't necessarily the problem; rather, it's that he infused too much into his system, which is seemingly the primary concern. With the exception of those received legitimately through "hospital treatment, surgical procedures, or clinical diagnostic investigations under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing," it is prohibited at all times to invest a volume of 100 mL or greater into your system.
It seems that if Ryan Lochte didn't know this little tidbit, then he certainly learned it the hard way. Lotche's 14-month period of ineligibility began on May 24th, 2018, the date he received the now-notorious intravenous infusion. He'll seemingly be ineligible to swim or participate in Olympic activities until this time next year. That's going to be one long wait.
It should be noted that Ryan Lochte is no stranger to controversy. You might remember that Lochte was involved in a major scandal when he lied about being robbed at gunpoint at a gas station in Rio during the Olympics. Instead, he and his teammates drunkenly vandalized the establishment. He was banned from swimming competitions for 10 months because of that incident, and he had to forfeit the price money he received. While the athlete was able to avoid getting into trouble after that for awhile, settling down and finding himself growing committed in his relationship, trouble continues to find him.
If there is one upside to this whole sanction, it's that Ryan Lochte will hopefully find more time to spend with his family. The swimmer is the father of 1-year-old Caiden Lochte, whom he shares with his wife, model Kayla Rae Reid. The athlete got married earlier this year, and if he was looking for a way to spend more time with the wife and kid outside his pool, then he certainly found an unorthodox way of doing it.
