RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazilian police said Thursday that swimmer Ryan Lochte and three U.S. teammates were not robbed after a night of partying, and the intoxicated athletes instead vandalized a gas station bathroom and were questioned by armed guards before they paid for the damage and left.The robbery that was or wasnt has become the biggest spectacle outside of the Olympic venues in Rio, casting a shadow over American athletes amid an otherwise remarkable run at the Summer Games. The ordeal was also a blow to Brazilians, who for months endured scrutiny about whether the city could keep athletes and tourists safe given its long history of violence.No robbery was committed against these athletes. They were not victims of the crimes they claimed, Civil Police Chief Fernando Veloso said during a news conference.The police account came in direct contrast to claims from Lochtes attorney earlier in the week. The attorney, Jeff Ostrow, had insisted the swimmer had nothing to gain by making the story up. He, as well as Lochtes father and agent, did not return phone calls seeking comment.The swimmers could potentially face punishment -- probation, suspension, a fine or expulsion -- under USA Swimmings code of conduct. It was not clear if the swimmers would face criminal charges, though police said the athletes could be charged with destruction of property, falsely reporting a crime or both.Two of the swimmers -- Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger -- checked in to a flight out of Brazil late Thursday after a judge lifted the order seizing their passports and keeping them in the country. They had testified about the incident earlier in the day, and Brazilians chanted liar as they left the police building.They did not lie in their statements. They never lied to journalists. They only stayed quiet. They did not know what was going on, attorney Sergio Riera said.The last swimmer in Rio, Jimmy Feigen, provided an updated statement to police, U.S. Olympic officials said, and hoped to get his passport back shortly to return home.The saga began when Lochte claimed that he and his teammates were held at gunpoint and robbed several hours after the last Olympic swimming races ended. But police then said they didnt have evidence to substantiate the story. Their passports were ordered seized so the investigation could continue, but Lochte had already left the country.While some details in the official account of the story changed on Thursday -- police first said no guns were involved, then said two guards pointed weapons at the swimmers -- security video confirmed the athletes vandalized parts of the gas station, leading to an encounter with station employees.The closed-circuit video shows one of the swimmers pulling a sign off of a wall and dropping it onto the ground. A gas station worker arrives, and other workers inspect the damage. Veloso said the swimmers broke a door, a soap dispenser and a mirror.The swimmers eventually talk with station workers as their cab leaves.As they talk, two of the swimmers briefly raise their hands and all four sit down on a curb. After a few minutes, the swimmers stand up and appear to exchange something -- perhaps cash, as police said -- with one of the men.The footage doesnt show a weapon, but a police official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing said two guards pointed guns during the encounter. Veloso said the guards did not use excessive force and would have been justified in drawing their weapons because the athletes were conducting themselves in a violent way.A station employee called police, and the guards and employees tried to get the swimmers and the taxi driver to stay until authorities arrived, some even offering to help interpret between English and Portuguese, Veloso said. But he said the athletes wanted to leave, so paid 100 Brazilian reals (about US $33) and $20 in U.S. currency and left.Conger and Bentz told authorities that the story of the robbery had been fabricated, said the police official who spoke to the AP about the guns.Police said the swimmers were unable to provide key details in early interviews, saying they had been intoxicated. The police official said officers grew suspicious when security video showed the swimmers returning to the athletes village wearing watches, which would have likely been taken in a robbery.We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over, Lochte told NBCs Today the morning after the incident. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground -- they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didnt do anything wrong, so -- Im not getting down on the ground.And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, `Get down, and I put my hands up, I was like `whatever. He took our money, he took my wallet -- he left my cellphone, he left my credentials.Lochte backed off some of those claims as the week went on, saying the taxi wasnt pulled over, and that the athletes were robbed after stopping at a gas station. Lochte also said a man pointed a gun toward him, but not at his head.The swimmers did not call police, authorities said, and officers only began investigating after they saw news coverage with Lochtes mother speaking about the incident. Lochte also said the swimmers didnt initially tell U.S. Olympic officials what happened because we were afraid wed get in trouble.While hes medaled often, Lochtes accomplishments have long been overshadowed by teammate Michael Phelps -- the most decorated Olympian in history. Lochte, a 12-time medalist, won a gold in Rio in a relay race alongside Phelps.The robbery debacle prompted both wild speculation and social media mockery, which quickly turned to scorn after the official account went public. (hash)LochteGate trended on Twitter, with users sharing video footage and posting comments about white privilege and rude Americans. Memes mocking the Lochte lie proliferated almost immediately.David Fleischer, a political scientist at the University of Brasilia, said the incident touched a nerve in Brazil because of the countrys history and cases of people committing crimes while impersonating police.The story did have some sense of validity but it didnt bear out and it made them look bad worldwide, he said.---AP reporters Beth Harris, Chris Lehourites, Pauline Arrillaga and Renata Brito in Rio de Janeiro, and Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.---This story has been corrected to reflect that the lawyer for two of the swimmers is Sergio Riera, not Sergio Viegas. Jrue Holiday Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Kenrich Williams Jersey . 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Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. (STATS) -- No FCS team has wrapped up a spot in the playoffs. Sure, many traditional powers like North Dakota State, Sam Houston State and Eastern Washington are almost certainly headed there.Yet, none of them can become the first to punch their ticket to the postseason.The team with a chance to do it doesnt have a rich playoff history. It didnt get one first-place vote in its conferences preseason poll. It wasnt even part of the STATS FCS Top 25 until this week.That team is none other than Lehigh.The 24th-ranked Mountain Hawks have mostly flown under the radar despite putting up huge offensive numbers and winning seven consecutive games, a run which puts them in the company of the FCS big boys. The streak is tied for third-longest nationally with No. 16 North Dakota, behind only top-ranked Sam Houston and No. 5 The Citadel.A victory Saturday afternoon over Bucknell would give Lehigh (7-2, 4-0) the Patriot League title and an automatic playoff berth for the first time since 2011.The coaching staff, all of our players have done a great job working to get our program back to the caliber of where we wanna be and were on the doorstep of getting another ring here, coach Andy Coen said. Thats what we talk to our players about. If youre gonna work hard and do the right things, youre gonna have an opportunity to win a championship. That will be in our hands here on Saturday.The only other team with a chance to earn a playoff spot this weekend is The Citadel if it beats Samford, but that game begins 90 minutes after the Mountain Hawks kick off the final home game for their seniors.Many of them were around for past heartbreak against Bucknell (3-5, 2-1), so the Mountain Hawks wont take this game lightly even though the Bison appear to be far inferior. Their only league wins came against Holy Cross and Lafayette, which have a combined 5-13 record.Lehigh was 6-1 in 2013 before being blown out 48-10 by a Bucknell team which entered with a 2-4 record.We already had that conversation with some of our veteran guys, Coen said. They remember what happenned here three years ago.dddddddddddd Were not gonna make that mistake again.The Bison do boast the Patriots No. 1 defense, surrendering 372.6 yards per game. However, when they did have to face a high-powered offense last week against eighth-ranked Charleston Southern, they were torched for 548 yards and 49 points.Lehighs offense is just as potent if not moreso. The Mountain Hawks are averaging more than 500 yards and 40 points per game, and the scary part is that theyre finding better balance.It was the passing attack which fueled the win streak until the past two games, when sophomore Dominick Bragalone rushed for a combined 374 yards and five touchdowns on just 32 carries. Plus, dual-threat quarterback Nick Shafnisky was back last week after missing 2 1/2 of the previous four games with an ankle problem, and he rushed for a season-high 108 yards and three TDs while throwing for 238 and a score in a 58-37 whipping of Fordham.For the future, its gonna cause more problems for opposing defenses, senior fullback Kenny Crawford said of the ground game stepping up. Doms really been picking it up. The O-line has been playing tremendous. Our offense has become very dangerous and explosive.It doesnt seem like the Bison can keep up. Theyve topped 28 points and 400 total yards only once all season.However, if they somehow pull off a shocker at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pa., the Patriot title will be back up for grabs because Lehigh, Bucknell and either Colgate or Fordham -- which play each other -- will all have one league loss.Coen isnt letting his team think much about whats at stake Saturday.We talked about it briefly at our team meeting on Sunday, but then it was right back to work, he said. You wouldnt have known if it was Week 3 or Week 5, and certainly you wouldnt have known it was for a championship this week. Well start revving up the energy level and those types of things as we get closer to the game. ' ' '