There is an organized effort by the Olympic committee to suppress reports that paint Brazil's state-sponsored athletic boondoggle in anything less than a Utopian light. They achieve this by threatening to deny access which would result in a loss of ad revenue. Lochte had the misfortune of being shaken down by police, then had the foresight to get the hell out of there before the authorities could hold him hostage and blackmail him. Unfortunately, his sponsors, fearing a loss of Olympic marketing access, were forced to punish him for painting Brazil in a bad light.