RIO DE JANEIRO -- U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte apologized Friday for his behavior surrounding an incident at a Rio de Janeiro gas station, saying he should have been more careful and candid about how he described what happened after a night of partying with his teammates.But he didnt explain why he embellished details of an encounter with armed security guards and called it a robbery, and why he omitted to say that he and three teammates had vandalized a gas station restroom.Regardless of the behavior of anyone else that night, I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that am sorry, Lochte said in a lengthy post on his Instagram account. This was a situation that could and should have been avoided. I accept responsibility for my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons.Whatever they were, for now, hes keeping them to himself.The situation raises questions about the future for Lochte, who is planning to take time off from swimming but wants to return to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Usually known for his party boy image and love of the limelight, he now is facing a line of nervous sponsors, the possibility of legal charges in Brazil and sanctions from USA Swimming and the International Olympic Committee.The robbery flap deeply hurt Brazilians, who were eager to prove they could get street crime under control and host a safe Olympics. And it overshadowed the efforts of U.S. Olympians, who have dominated the medal count. Swimmers alone piled up 16 golds and 33 medals total at the games.Known for his outsized personality and regular `bro behavior, Lochte has always been about having fun. This is the guy who gleefully admitted eating McDonalds three times a day while winning four medals at the 2008 Beijing Games. For Rio, he dyed his dark hair white, not realizing the pools chlorine would turn it light green.His memorable props -- diamond grills on his teeth on the medal podium, crazily colored high-tops, sunglasses bearing his favorite made-up expression of Jeah! -- and easygoing, goofy nature has made him a popular and relatable star with the public and his teammates.I think that is why I do so many different things with the hair, the grills, the crazy shoes, he said in Rio, Its just my personality coming out there.Lochtes success led to his own 2013 reality TV show called What Would Ryan Lochte Do? It had a short run and left some viewers with the impression that its star was nothing more than a good-looking dim bulb. Still, lines for his autograph sessions at meets routinely stretch longer than anyone elses.As hard as he plays, Lochte works hard, too. His 12 Olympic medals are second only to Michael Phelps among U.S. male Olympians.This time Lochte was only a small part of the show. He finished fifth in his only individual event and swam on the victorious 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Instead, the biggest memory of the 32-year-old swimmer in Rio will be the grainy security video of him and teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen exiting the gas station restroom and sitting on the ground, some with hands up.Like other pro swimmers, Lochte is reliant on sponsors to foot his bills so he can focus on year-round training and travel to meets without having to hold a regular job.His sponsors, including Speedo, Ralph Lauren and airweave premium bedding, have been in no hurry to cut ties with him, though have said they are monitoring the situation.The incident feeds a lot of American cliches of the bad-boy athlete, and while it was relatively minor, it is unsavory, says Thomas Ordahl, chief strategy officer at the brand consulting firm Landor.Ordahl believes its probably a good idea for companies to hold off on making decisions until the issue surrounding the dispute is sorted out. But he suspects that eventually, sponsors will probably drop Lochte.The truth is that there are enough celebrities to be attached to without bringing that kind of baggage with you, said Robert Passikoff, president and founder of the research firm Brand Keys.USA Swimming is expected to convene its executive board to discuss likely punishment, as it did when Michael Phelps was arrested for a second DUI two years ago. Technically, the four could be fined, suspended or expelled. In the Phelps case, the board announced a week after the arrest that it was suspending the sports biggest star for six months, banning him from competing in the 2015 world championships and taking away six months of his funding stipend.For Phelps, it was his third strike.This is Lochtes first major gaffe, and whatever sanctions the national governing body passes down could have little effect on the professional swimmer. Hes already said he plans to take the first extensive break of his career following the Olympics and move from North Carolina to California. A suspension could keep him out of next years world championships -- often bereft of big stars following an Olympic year -- and the Arena Pro Swim Series, a five-meet circuit in the U.S. But that would hardly impact Lochte should he decide to resume training for the 2020 games.As for the other three, Feigen has indicated he would retire after Rio and the 26-year-old is looking forward to attending law school somewhere in Texas. He made a $10,800 payment to a Rio charity that teaches martial arts to poor children after the incident, and his passport was returned. He left Brazil Friday night.Bentz and Conger stumbled just as they were getting started on the international stage, so the repercussions could linger longest with the Olympic rookies. They, along with Feigen, swam in preliminary heats, and earned gold medals when their teammates won relays in the finals.They returned home to the U.S. Friday.Bentz will be a 20-year-old junior majoring in business at Georgia this fall and Conger will be a 21-year-old senior majoring in corporate communication at Texas. They remain amateurs and presumably will continue their NCAA careers with their respective programs, which also could hand out punishment.What may take longer for everyone to forget is how the four stole the spotlight.While we are thankful our athletes are safe, we do not condone the lapse in judgment and conduct that led us to this point, USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said. It is not representative of what is expected as Olympians, as Americans, as swimmers and as individuals.---AP Retail Writer Anne DInnocenzio in New York and AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report. Vince Coleman Jersey . 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Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. RIO DE JANEIRO -- For the family of Brazilian soccer player Neto, as one of only six survivors of a plane crash in Colombia is known, there is joy and pain.They feel its a miracle that their son, 31-year-old Helio Hermito Zampier, survived. But at the same time, they are struggling with loss because 71 passengers died, including 19 members of their sons beloved team. The plane crashed on Monday night, a few miles (kilometers) from an airport in Medellin, Colombia.On one hand, we are very happy because our family member, Neto, is alive, said Helam Marinho Zampier, Jr., Netos 34-year-old brother. But at the same time, we are grieving because other lives were lost.I cant say that God saved my son, said Netos father, Helam Marinho Zampier Sr., clearly searching for answers. If that was the case, God would have saved everybody. I can say that God helped my son.Sitting in the patio of their home on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro Thursday evening, several family members awaited more information from Netos wife, Simone, who had flown to Colombia. She and Neto live in Chapeco, the city in southern Brazil that is home to the team, with their 9-year-old twins.The last word was that he was in stable condition, having come through surgeries on a lung, a knee, a wrist and his head. He woke up briefly and grabbed the doctors hand, they said, before being sedated to continue recovering.My son was recovered in the debris of the plane, said the elder Zampier, who added that he hoped he could return home within a few weeks.The family recounted how they had been awoken at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday by Netos wife, who called with news of the crash. For hours, they weere glued to the television.dddddddddddd Grainy footage of the rescue showed repeatedly showed what looked like Neto on a stretcher, but they couldnt be sure.While they waited, they stewed on something Simone said: Neto had told her on the day of the flight that he had had a dream his airline crashed.By 10 a.m., they received news that he had in fact made it.When I found out he survived, I said: `Thank you, God. Now I can cry, said Valeria Zampier, Netos mother.Still, there is another side.My heart is broken for the other mothers (of the dead), she said.The family said they believed that the team would rebuild.Chapecoense reached Brazils first division in 2014 and was in ninth place ahead of this weekends last round of games. On its way to the continental final, the team known as Chape beat major clubs such as Argentinas San Lorenzo and Independiente.Several teams have offered to loan players, as the tragedy has brought an outpouring of support. A memorial service for the victims is being planned for Saturday in Chapeco.We saw the team go from very low to very high over the last years, said the elder Zampier. They wont go back down.The family also has no doubt that Neto, who was a team leader, would play soccer again. Since turning pro more than a decade ago, he had played for several teams across Brazil. 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