‘Today Show’ host Matt Lauer to interview Ryan Lochte again; interview airing during Nightly News

Ryan Lochte’s actions and words have become a rather unwelcome distraction during the Rio Olympics to date, and we have a feeling that quite a few people involved are looking to put the entire drama to bed. Therefore, the following announcement does not surprise us at all.

Tonight during both the NBC Nightly News and the primetime Olympics coverage, you will have an opportunity to see Matt Lauer of “Today” sit down to discuss Lochte’s side of the story further. If you recall, the swimmer had previously told Lauer a story about being robbed at gunpoint while in Rio, and that has since shown itself to be an incredibly murky story. Brazilian authorities have insisted that the claims are fabricated, and video evidence suggests that what happened instead was that he and fellow swimmers, while intoxicated, caused a ruckus at a local gas station in the city. There are varying accounts as to whether or not an armed security guard actually pointed a gun towards the swimmers, and they may have been asked to pay for damages.

In the wake of all of the questions surrounding the legitimacy of his claims, Lochte himself issued a statement on Instagram apologizing for the clarity of his comments; however, he also did not proclaim his side of the story about the “robbery” to be a lie. Maybe this interview tonight will resolve things further.

We’ve already said that we would not be surprised to see Lochte try to look towards other TV venues to repair his image in the wake of all that has transpired — an appearance on “Dancing with the Stars” certainly feels like a possibility.