Less than 24 hours after the close of the Rio Olympics, Ryan Lochte tk a major financial hit Monday for a drunken incident he initially tried to pass off as an armed robbery.In quick succession, four sponsors announced they were dumping the swimmer, who has since apologized and conceded that he embellished what happened during a now-infamous stop at a Rio gas station.Swimsuit company Speedo USA, clothing giant Ralph Lauren and skin-care firm Syneron-Candela issued statements less than three hours apart, all with the same message: Lochte is out. Before the day was done, Japanese mattress maker airweave followed suit, essentially wiping out Lochtes income away from the pl.In addition, Speedo USA said $50,000 that wouldve gone to the 12-time Olympic medalist was being donated to Save The Children to benefit needy youngsters in Brazil.While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long std for, the prominent swimsuit company said. We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience.Ralph Lauren, which provided the Polo-branded attire worn by the U.S. team at the opening and closing ceremonies, said it would not be renewing the contract that provided Lochte with financial support leading up to Rio. The statement from airweave said it had a similar arrangement with the swimmer. Both stressed they would continue their support of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams.Syneron-Candela offers a line of skin-treatment products that deal with issues such as wrinkle reduction.We hold our employees to high standards, and we expect the same of our business partners, the company said.Lochte issued a statement through his public relations firm thanking Speedo USA for its long support. He did not immediately address the other companies dropping their endorsements.I respect Speedos decision and am grateful for the opportunities that our partnership has afforded me over the years, Lochte said.Initially, Lochte said he and three teammates -- Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen -- were robbed after their taxi was pulled over by armed men posing as police just hours after the swimming competition ended in Rio de Janeiro.That version quickly unraveled when police said the swimmers, who had attended a late-night party, never reported the incident to authorities and there was scant evidence of a robbery. Video surveillance emerged showing the athletes getting into a confrontation with armed security guards over alleged vandalism at the gas station when their taxi pulled over to let them use the restrm.While there have been conflicting versions over whether the guards pulled their weapons on the swimmers, Lochte has since acknowledged he was highly intoxicated and that his behavior led to the confrontation, which resulted in the swimmers paying some $50 in U.S. and Brazilian currency before they were allowed to leave. The incident caused a furor in Rio, where street crime was a major issue heading into the games.Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, said he wasnt surprised by the decision since most of Lochtes marketing value was tied to campaigns prior to the Olympics.I would think it was an easy decision to cut ties now, Swangard said. For someone like Lochte, hes really destroyed almost all of his short-term marketability. Brands can easily seek out other athletes for the next Olympic cycle.The financial costs of losing Speedo and Ralph Lauren are likely to be only the first sanctions that await Lochte, whose antics tarnished a powerful showing by the American team and dominating news away from the stadiums and arenas in the final days of the Rio Games.Both the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming have indicated that Lochte will be punished, perhaps endangering the 32-year-olds hopes of competing in a fifth Olympics at Tokyo in 2020. He could also face criminal charges in Brazil, where the other swimmers were initially barred from leaving the country until they were interviewed by authorities.Feigen wound up donating just under $11,000 to a Brazilian nonprofit sports organization to settle any potential legal action. Bentz issued a statement saying Lochte tore a sign off a wall at the gas station and got into a heated exchange with the security officers, though Bentz denied the swimmers did any damage to a locked bathrm as authorities alleged.In the last of three interviews with NBC that included ever-changing accounts of the incident, Lochte apologized and acknowledged he over-exaggerated the story. He made a similar mea culpa to Brazils main broadcaster, Globo.Long one of the most popular U.S. athletes, the laid-back swimmer is known for his trademark saying Jeah! and such antics as wearing diamond grillz on the medal stand and dying his hair a silvery color before the Rio Games. Lochte also starred in a short-lived reality television show after the 2012 Olympics.For these games, he qualified in only one individual event, finishing fifth in the 200-meter individual medley, far behind longtime rival Michael Phelps. Lochte did help Phelps and the Americans win gold in the 4x200 freestyle relay.---AP business writers Mae Anderson and Candice Choi in New York and editor Amy Finkelstein in Chicago contributed to this report.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . Clearance Shoes Online . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Cheap Shoes Wholesale Free Shipping . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. 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With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. MINNEAPOLIS -- Maya Mre scored 27 points, Sylvia Fowles had 15 points and 17 rebounds and the Minnesota Lynx held on to beat the Washington Mystics 75-69 on Friday night.Western Conference-leading Minnesota (23-5) has won 10 of its last 12 games and eight straight at home.Tayler Hill had 15 points, and Leilani Mitchell 13 for the Mystics (10-17). They have lost two straight and nine of 10.Mre was 7 of 17 from the flr and made 12 of 13 free throws. She has scored 20 or more points 13 timmes this season.ddddddddddddWashington used an 18-6 run between the third and fourth quarters to tie it at 55 with eight minutes left. Hill split a pair of free throws to pull the Mystics to 63-61 with two minutes left. Mre stumbled to one knee, but pulled up and made a one-fted jumper at the top of the key to stretch the Lynxs lead to 68-63 with 44.7 remaining. ' ' '