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Marketing and Sponsorship

Lochte Scores First Endorsement Deal Since Rio Incident; 'Dancing With The Stars' Next?

U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte has signed his first new endorsement deal since his robbery scandal at the Rio Games, partnering with California-based Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops. The 12-time Olympic medalist will appear in a series of commercial and print ads titled, "Pine Brothers Softfish Throat Drops: Forgiving On Your Throat." The ads will be shot in L.A. next month (THE DAILY). Lochte took to Twitter on Thursday to announce the deal, writing, "Thanks to all the folks at pine bros. for your confidence in me. I look forward to making you proud" (TWITTER.com, 8/25). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted the deal with Pine Bros. comes after Speedo, Airweave and Gentle Hair Removal all "severed their deals" with Lochte on Monday. Polo Ralph Lauren, which counted Lochte as its biggest Olympic spokesperson, said that its deal "ended with the Olympics and would not renew him" (ESPN.com, 8/25). In N.Y., Claire Atkinson notes Pine Bros. "has become known for its quirky spokespersons." The company in '13 "inked a deal with Martha Stewart" and two years ago "featured rapper Waka Flocka Flame in a 30-second TV spot" (N.Y. POST, 8/26). CNBC's Kayla Tausche said prior to signing Lochte, "no one had hear of Pine Bros., and now they have." CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin: "It's already working" ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 8/26).

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY: Several published reports have stated that Lochte will appear on the next season of ABC's "Dancing With The Stars." The L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke noted Lochte has “no image right now." Plaschke: "He’s lost all of his sponsorships, he lost a lot of his fans. The only way he can get this back is to go the public and to appeal to their sense that he’s a nice guy. Down deep, Ryan Lochte’s not a bad guy, and he’s going to try to show everybody this." Plaschke said of appearing on "DWTS," "I don't blame him for trying to do it. It could work." ESPN's Israel Gutierrez said, "There are other people who have had bad reputations that have gone to ‘Dancing With The Stars’ and look a lot better as the result" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 8/25).

LEGAL PROBLEMS NOT OVER YET
: The AP's Mauricio Savarese reported Brazilian police on Thursday charged Lochte "with filing a false robbery report." A police statement indicated that Lochte would be informed in the U.S so he could "decide whether to introduce a defense in Brazil." The indictment "will also be sent" to the IOC's ethics commission. Under Brazilian law, the penalty for falsely filing a crime report "carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison." Lochte "could be tried in absentia if he didn't return to face the charge." However, Brazil "has a long history of not extraditing its own citizens to other nations and U.S. authorities could take the same stance if Lochte is found guilty" (AP, 8/25).

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