Ryan Lochte Capitalizes on Rio Scandal with 'Forgiving' Endorsement Deal

SIMI VALLEY, CA — Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte, whose fabricated tale of being robbed at gunpoint in Rio has cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, will receive a chance at redemption with a new sponsorship deal announced Thursday with a Southern California cough drop company.

Simi Valley-based Pine Bros. announced that Lochte will be appearing in a series of print ads and a commercial with the tagline, "Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops: Forgiving On Your Throat." The ads will be shot in Los Angeles in the next few weeks.

The swimmer thanked the company via Twitter for giving him a second chance.

"Thanks to all the folks at pine bros. for your confidence in me," he tweeted. "I look forward to making you proud."

Lochte's Rio troubles are far from over. Late Thursday, the embattled swimmer was charged by Brazilian authorities for lying about the late-night outing when he claimed he was robbed, the Associated Press reported. Lochte claimed on NBC's Today show he and three other American swimmers were pulled over and robbed at gunpoint.

Authorities, however, said there was no such robbery. Lochte and the other swimmers were caught on surveillance camera breaking a locked door at a gas station and trying to leave in a cab. They were stopped by armed security guards and paid about $50 for the damage before being allowed to leave.

Lochte later apologized, saying he "exaggerated" the incident. He has been ordered to appear in a Brazilian court to testify about the incident.

Shortly after his apology, four companies — Speedo, Gentle Laser Hair Removal, Ralph Lauren and Japanese mattress maker Airweave — all ended their sponsorship deals with Lochte. Those endorsement deals were reportedly worth $1 million. The terms of the Pine Bros. deal were not disclosed.

Lochte 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."

Photo credit: Chan-Fan/Wiki Commons