--- title: Ryan Lochte: Michael Phelps Reaches Out Over Rio Scandal description: Michael Phelps empathized with Ryan Lochte and said he hopes his U.S. Olympic swimming teammate will learn from the Rio robbery incident canonical: https://time.com/4470895/michael-phelps-ryan-lochte-rio-robbery/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-29T16:07:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T10:05:27.202Z article:section: Sports og:title: Michael Phelps Reaches Out to Ryan Lochte Over Rio Robbery Scandal og:description: "I know what it feels like and I’ve been through it before" og:url: https://time.com/4470895/michael-phelps-ryan-lochte-rio-robbery/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf1d2d62b3f02cd5/6988a404bc6cfc3b6a3de654/lochte-phelps-robbery-brazil-rio-charges.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Michael Phelps,Ryan Lochte og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michael Phelps Reaches Out to Ryan Lochte Over Rio Robbery Scandal twitter:description: "I know what it feels like and I’ve been through it before" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf1d2d62b3f02cd5/6988a404bc6cfc3b6a3de654/lochte-phelps-robbery-brazil-rio-charges.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Michael Phelps Reaches Out to Ryan Lochte Over Rio Robbery Scandal: 'I Know What It Feels Like'  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Aug 29, 2016 4:07 PM UTC  Michael Phelps, right, reacts with Ryan Lochte, left, after winning the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, in Omaha, Neb. on July 1, 2016\. Lochte finished in second place. Michael Phelps, right, reacts with Ryan Lochte, left, after winning the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, in Omaha, Neb. on July 1, 2016\. Lochte finished in second place.Nati Harnik—AP  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Aug 29, 2016 4:07 PM UTC Michael Phelps empathized with [Ryan Lochte](http://time.com/4458466/ryan-lochte-rio-robbery-gas-station/) in a [new interview Monday](http://www.today.com/news/why-michael-phelps-thinks-ryan-lochte-can-grow-rio-scandal-t102314) and said he hopes his U.S. Olympic swimming teammate will learn and “grow” from the international spectacle he sparked after[ telling an “overexaggerated” tale about being robbed in Rio](http://time.com/4467020/ryan-lochte-charged-rio-false-robbery-report/). Phelps, the most decorated Olympic competitor with 28 medals, told the _Today_ show that he has experienced similar backlash as Lochte, who has been mired in controversy since Brazilian authorities say he made up a story about being robbed at gunpoint after vandalizing a gas station. “It’s always hard to see a friend and competitor go through a hard time like this. I know what it feels like and I’ve been through it before,” Phelps said. “Hopefully, he can come out of this a better person. I’ve reached out to him a couple of times. I think he understands a lot and he will be able to grow from this.” Phelps, who is now a father, made a comeback during this summer’s Olympic games after he had to go to rehab [following a DUI](http://time.com/4106212/michael-phelps-dui-interview/). Lochte faces charges in Brazil over filing a false robbery report. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4470895/michael-phelps-ryan-lochte-rio-robbery/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4470895/michael-phelps-ryan-lochte-rio-robbery/"},"headline":"Michael Phelps Reaches Out to Ryan Lochte Over Rio Robbery Scandal: 'I Know What It Feels Like'","datePublished":"2016-08-29T16:07:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T10:05:27.202Z","description":"\"I know what it feels like and I’ve been through it before\"","url":"https://time.com/4470895/michael-phelps-ryan-lochte-rio-robbery/","keywords":["swimming"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf1d2d62b3f02cd5/6988a404bc6cfc3b6a3de654/lochte-phelps-robbery-brazil-rio-charges.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf1d2d62b3f02cd5/6988a404bc6cfc3b6a3de654/lochte-phelps-robbery-brazil-rio-charges.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Michael Phelps,Ryan Lochte","caption":"Michael Phelps, right, reacts with Ryan Lochte, left, after winning the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, in Omaha, Neb. on July 1, 2016. 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