Smother Mother

    The 2016 Rio Olympics have come to a close,

...and while many Olympians are doubtless still basking in the glory of their victories,

...Team U.S.A. swimmer Ryan Lochte is spending his post-gold medal days on an apology tour, endeavoring to climb out of a pool of shame.

       It's clear from the chain of events that began with a night of celebratory partying  and ended in the shattering of  Ryan Lochte's reputation and career that the 12-time Olympic medal winner has an alcohol problem along with the subset of ensuing problems that come with the territory, including in his case an episode of drunken vandalism at a Rio gas station, the subsequent cover-up lying,  and the resulting mess in which he now finds his life. 
     But it also appears from the unfortunate outcome of that inauspicious night in Rio that Ryan Lochte may well have another problem that he needs to deal with:  a mother problem.
      Consider: Why would an uber-successful 32-year-old world champion, considered by many to be the best swimmer on the planet, feel the need after a night of drunken misbehavior to make up an outrageous lie to his mother about being robbed at gunpoint?
      Why, in fact, did he Ryan Lochte feel the need to say anything to his mother about what he'd been up to the night before? 
        And consider this:  Ryan Lochte and several of his fellow Team U.S.A. mates drank too much,  indulged in rowdy behavior, damaged the door of a gas station restroom, were accosted by a security guard, ended up paying the gas station owner to his satisfaction for the damages, then went home.  End of story, or it would have been had Ryan Lochte's mother not felt compelled to take control of the situation by  complaining to the media that her son had been robbed and traumatized by Brazilian thugs. 
       Understandably Ryan Lochte's mother must have been terribly distressed by her son's account of his ordeal;  but seriously, what mother is still so up in her 32-year-old son's business that she'd believe it was her maternal prerogative to go over her son's head to the press?
        Subsequently the press went to the International Olympic Committee who went to the United States Olympic Committee who went to Ryan Lochte who first denied then later confirmed the  account he'd told his mother, then re-told the lie on an NBC television interview which was seen by the Brazilian police who did an investigation of their own and revealed to the world that Ryan Lochte had not in fact been a victim of crime, but  had himself committed the crime then slandered and insulted their country. Thus because of Ryan Lochte's mother's intervention an event of drunken disorderliness that would have ended in an unremarkable outcome  instead spun out of control into an international incident and caused the downfall of an Olympian.
       Ryan Lochte admits that he's considering rehab for his alcohol issues.  Perhaps he should  look into some counseling for his mother issues as well.                      

References:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/sports/olympics/usa-swimming-ryan-lochte-tarnish.html?_r=0

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/olympics/ryan-lochte-won%e2%80%99t-rule-out-alcohol-rehab/ar-BBvUGWU?li=BBnba9I