RIO DE JANEIRO — The Olympic scandal created by American swimmer Ryan Lochte and three teammates moved toward a resolution Friday, with Lochte issuing a qualified apology for lying about an alleged robbery and swimmer James Feigen reaching a deal that would allow him to leave Brazil. 

“I want to apologize for my behavior last weekend — for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes fulfilling their dreams of participating in the Olympics,” Lochte said in a statement that he linked to from his Twitter feed.

It was his first comment since the Rio de Janeiro police chief called his story of being held at gunpoint and robbed an outright lie.

The four U.S. swimmers had faced charges of filing false complaints to police after fabricating a story that they were the victims of an armed robbery after a night of partying by men posing as police.

The 12-time medalist, who managed to make it to the United States before a judicial order to seize his passport could be executed, said he waited until the legal situation of his teammates was dealt with before breaking his silence in what has jokingly become known as “Watergate” because swimmers had been caught in a lie.

While he said he was sorry, Lochte’s three-paragraph statement attempted to justify what took place. His tweet contained only the link to the statement, with no comment that would be obvious to Twitter followers who did not click on the link.

“It’s traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country — with a language barrier — and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money,” Lochte said.

The statement made no mention of police chief Fernando Veloso’s contention that off-duty police officers working as security guards were the ones who pointed a gun at the drunken U.S. swimmers when they tried to flee after vandalizing a gas station bathroom.

They were allowed to leave after they handed over about $50 worth of U.S. and Brazilian currency to pay for damages to a mirror and other bathroom accessories.

Surveillance video from the gas station, taken shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday, appears to confirm the police chief’s version of events. The men can be seen visibly impaired, trying to get into the wrong cab, and being combative with the employees of the gas station, which is located near the Olympic village.

Security video of their arrival at the Olympic village minutes before 7 a.m. calls into question Lochte’s tweeted description of a traumatic event. The four swimmers have all their belongings and are cracking jokes as they pass through the security check.

None of the video squares with the version Lochte gave NBC’s “Today” show, where he said he’d had a gun put to his head and been ordered to lie down.

Brazil’s Rede Globo TV network obtained copies of the testimony of Lochte’s teammates, and reported that all three said Lochte had lied in his public recounting of events.

“I am very proud to represent my country in Olympic competition and this was a situation that could and should have been avoided,” Lochte said in his statement. “I accept my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons.”

Two fellow swimmers — Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger — left Rio late Thursday after providing testimony to police that contradicted Lochte’s version of events.

The last swimmer to leave, Feigen, appeared headed home Friday. According to a statement from the U.S. Olympic Committee, Feigen “provided a revised statement” to police on Thursday night “with the hope of securing the release of his passport as soon as possible.”

Multiple news reports early Friday quoted his lawyer, Breno Melaragno, as saying Feigen reached a deal to pay a fine of nearly $11,000 that would be directed to a charity in Brazil. In exchange, he’d be allowed to leave.

Melaragno did not return calls and emails requesting comment, but published reports said Feigen’s payment would be directed to the Instituto Reacao, an athletic organization that trained Rafaela Silva, who went from the City of God slum to winning a gold medal in judo and became an icon for this country’s downtrodden Afro-Brazilian population.

Brazilians have been highly offended by the scandal, which had a snowball effect on what had already been a spate of bad news in this beleaguered Olympic city. Rio’s police chief said the U.S. swimmers, whose accomplishments in the pool have been tarnished, owed ordinary Brazilians a direct apology.

The closest he got in Lochte’s statement Friday was an apology “to my teammates, my fans, my fellow competitors, my sponsors, and the hosts of this great event.”

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, speaking in a public forum Friday, said he appreciated the apology the previous night from the U.S. Olympic Committee. Of the swimmers, he offered, “What a shame they have such character faults.”