Bronze medal winner Scotty Lago has packed up his snowboots and headed home after some racy pictures surfaced online.
Lago, of Team USA, placed third in the men’s halfpipe. He apparently then took to the streets to celebrate.
The pictures show Lago out in Vancouver with his medal around his neck, and a girl biting it. Not so bad, until the medal migrates south, and stops over his groin area. The same girl then appears to be kissing his, erm, hardware.
Naturally, apologies were made before Lago voluntarily packed up shop and headed back home to Seabrook, N.H. Association President and CEO Bill Marolt commented, “Scotty realizes his conduct was inappropriate. He has formally apologized and also made a decision to leave Vancouver today.”
While Lago’s behaviour may have been crude and distasteful (in so far as it was in public), was it really an offense punishable by banishment? The statement implies that Lago made his own decision to leave, but I’m sure it wasn’t without pressure to do so from VANOC and game organizers.
When will celebrities learn? Twenty years ago, I’m sure athletes were doing similar if not worse celebratory things with their medals. It just wasn’t snapped on a camera phone and then sent to TMZ. Nowadays, thanks to YouTube, Twitter, Facebook & cell phones, nothing stays private. Just ask Tiger Woods.
I guess even with a bronze medal under his belt, literally, it just goes to show that boys will be boys.
