Henrik Rummel Erection? U.S. Rower Raises Questions And Eyebrows During Medal Ceremony (PHOTO)

Posted: 08/07/2012 6:32 pm EDT Updated: 08/10/2012 12:31 pm EDT

U.S. rowers, from right, Scott Gault, Charles Cole, Henrik Rummel and Glenn Ochal celebrate after winning the bronze medal for the men's rowing four in Eton Dorney, near Windsor, at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

When U.S. rower Henrik Rummel stepped onto the podium to receive his bronze medal for the men's coxless four rowing competition Monday, something led people to believe the athlete was a little overexcited about the team's third-place finish.

There seemed to be something going on in his, um, pants.

Scroll for a slightly more NSFW image.

The image quickly went viral, taking Reddit by storm and becoming a meme. But shortly thereafter, the rower himself may have taken to the site to defend his honor.

From Digital Spy:

"This is me and I swear it's not erect!" Rummel posted under the Rummelator username.
"I don't know why it ended up in that position but there you go."
Another user responded: "Dude when you win a medal in the goddamn olympics your penis can be however you want. You earned it."

Gawker got in touch with Rummel, who continued to deny the allegations against his manhood.

From Gawker:

So, come on: was it a boner?
Nope! If I did have one you can bet I would've tried harder to cover it up with the flowers. Those spandex are pretty tight fitting and whatever position it happens to be captured in, it's staying that way.

Visit Gawker to read the full interview.

Although not everyone buys Rummel's story, some did come to his defense.

Deadspin's Choire Sicha maintains penises simply come in all shapes and sizes. "The jury is still out on what this all means, but the long and short of it is that different d***s present themselves differently. And d***s are so different," he wrote.

We're leaving the caption contest up to you.

The photo that's turning heads, via HuffPost UK Comedy (SLIGHTLY NSFW):