Ryan Lochte speaks candidly about his emotional downfall after Rio

As part of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, Michael Phelps opened up about his struggles with depression and the importance of getting help from others.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…