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Ryan Lochte speaks candidly about his emotional downfall after Rio

Related Topics: Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps

USA TODAY Sports

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte says he struggled emotionally after returning home from the Rio Olympics, days after he was at the center of a scandal that rocked the Games.

In an interview with ESPN’s Allison Glock published Tuesday, Lochte says people wanted a reason to hate him and it hurt him personally.

"There were a couple of points where I was crying, thinking, 'If I go to bed and never wake up, fine,'" Lochte said in the interview.

When Glock asked if he contemplated suicide, Lochte said, "I was about to hang up my entire life.