Lochte Robbery Story: True or False

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a publicist, I would NEVER have allowed Ryan to do this interview. At least not yet. He didn't need to "explain himself" to the public or to his sponsors - not like this. There was absolutely no need for him to take more time away from other Olympians and the end of the Olympic games. The proper protocol would have been for him to wait until AFTER the games, as he has already taken so much away from the games and other competitors. So much air time has been devoted to covering his shenanigans, that he just should've laid low for a few more days.

He was also completely unprepared and you can tell he had absolutely no media training prior to this. This is what happens when you use a lawyer for your crisis PR needs instead of pairing the lawyer up with a true publicist who is experienced in this realm. Ryan needed to work with a trainer this weekend on everything from his posture to his language to his enunciation. You can tell that they didn't prepare answers in advance either, as he kept going back to being intoxicated. His sponsors DO NOT want to hear this and they certainly DO NOT want to hear it repeated like an excuse.

It's so unprofessional that he was allowed to do this interview, and that he was allowed to do it without anyone to guide him. He ends up looking like even more of a loser and he did nothing that would make his sponsors think this is a guy they should keep on paying. I feel for him, I really do, and I hope he at least thinks about hiring someone in the PR world - not just for any future interviews he does, but also to control how he re-enters the world of social media and to prevent any future issues like his upcoming birthday party in Vegas that coincides with his gf's paid appearance. He needs to totally avoid any upcoming partying, he honestly needs to send the Playboy playmate packing for now as she's not a good look for him either, and he needs to do some major re-branding and re-imaging before re-emerging in the public eye.

Eh, rich, playboy, and dumb is his public persona, isn't it? That's who he plays on tv, and it seems to be who he is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recap for those who haven't heard: Ryan Lochte & three other US Olympic swim team members were allegedly robbed at gun point Sunday evening. Now a Brazil judge has issued an order to seize Lochte & Feigen's passports, as Brazil want to hold both for further questioning.

Lochte's attorney says he is already back in the US and has no plans to return for follow up questioning.

Do you think the account was made up? I can't figure out a motive, and think it's odd that FOUR individuals would be in on a false account. At the same time it seems quite coincidental that out of all of the athletes, this happened to Lochte.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/17/sport/olympics-ryan-lochte-robbery-questions/

FALSE - Embarrassing drunk frat boy behavior. And I mean BOY behavior not behavior of a 32 year old man. Why lie? No one would have even known about incident if Lochte didn't lie. I can't believe people on this forum are trying to defend his behavior or justify. Would they do this if it were any of the AA track and field men pissing all over and tearing down signs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a publicist, I would NEVER have allowed Ryan to do this interview. At least not yet. He didn't need to "explain himself" to the public or to his sponsors - not like this. There was absolutely no need for him to take more time away from other Olympians and the end of the Olympic games. The proper protocol would have been for him to wait until AFTER the games, as he has already taken so much away from the games and other competitors. So much air time has been devoted to covering his shenanigans, that he just should've laid low for a few more days.

He was also completely unprepared and you can tell he had absolutely no media training prior to this. This is what happens when you use a lawyer for your crisis PR needs instead of pairing the lawyer up with a true publicist who is experienced in this realm. Ryan needed to work with a trainer this weekend on everything from his posture to his language to his enunciation. You can tell that they didn't prepare answers in advance either, as he kept going back to being intoxicated. His sponsors DO NOT want to hear this and they certainly DO NOT want to hear it repeated like an excuse.

It's so unprofessional that he was allowed to do this interview, and that he was allowed to do it without anyone to guide him. He ends up looking like even more of a loser and he did nothing that would make his sponsors think this is a guy they should keep on paying. I feel for him, I really do, and I hope he at least thinks about hiring someone in the PR world - not just for any future interviews he does, but also to control how he re-enters the world of social media and to prevent any future issues like his upcoming birthday party in Vegas that coincides with his gf's paid appearance. He needs to totally avoid any upcoming partying, he honestly needs to send the Playboy playmate packing for now as she's not a good look for him either, and he needs to do some major re-branding and re-imaging before re-emerging in the public eye.

Eh, rich, playboy, and dumb is his public persona, isn't it? That's who he plays on tv, and it seems to be who he is.

Sums up why some people have irrational hatred of him on this thread. Doesn't excuse Brazil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a publicist, I would NEVER have allowed Ryan to do this interview. At least not yet. He didn't need to "explain himself" to the public or to his sponsors - not like this. There was absolutely no need for him to take more time away from other Olympians and the end of the Olympic games. The proper protocol would have been for him to wait until AFTER the games, as he has already taken so much away from the games and other competitors. So much air time has been devoted to covering his shenanigans, that he just should've laid low for a few more days.

He was also completely unprepared and you can tell he had absolutely no media training prior to this. This is what happens when you use a lawyer for your crisis PR needs instead of pairing the lawyer up with a true publicist who is experienced in this realm. Ryan needed to work with a trainer this weekend on everything from his posture to his language to his enunciation. You can tell that they didn't prepare answers in advance either, as he kept going back to being intoxicated. His sponsors DO NOT want to hear this and they certainly DO NOT want to hear it repeated like an excuse.

It's so unprofessional that he was allowed to do this interview, and that he was allowed to do it without anyone to guide him. He ends up looking like even more of a loser and he did nothing that would make his sponsors think this is a guy they should keep on paying. I feel for him, I really do, and I hope he at least thinks about hiring someone in the PR world - not just for any future interviews he does, but also to control how he re-enters the world of social media and to prevent any future issues like his upcoming birthday party in Vegas that coincides with his gf's paid appearance. He needs to totally avoid any upcoming partying, he honestly needs to send the Playboy playmate packing for now as she's not a good look for him either, and he needs to do some major re-branding and re-imaging before re-emerging in the public eye.

Do you know that he doesn't have a professional publicist? Because a publicist could recommend all this stuff, but he doesn't have to listen. (If he wants the Playboy va-jay, he wants the Playboy va-jay.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recap for those who haven't heard: Ryan Lochte & three other US Olympic swim team members were allegedly robbed at gun point Sunday evening. Now a Brazil judge has issued an order to seize Lochte & Feigen's passports, as Brazil want to hold both for further questioning.

Lochte's attorney says he is already back in the US and has no plans to return for follow up questioning.

Do you think the account was made up? I can't figure out a motive, and think it's odd that FOUR individuals would be in on a false account. At the same time it seems quite coincidental that out of all of the athletes, this happened to Lochte.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/17/sport/olympics-ryan-lochte-robbery-questions/

FALSE - Embarrassing drunk frat boy behavior. And I mean BOY behavior not behavior of a 32 year old man. Why lie? No one would have even known about incident if Lochte didn't lie. I can't believe people on this forum are trying to defend his behavior or justify. Would they do this if it were any of the AA track and field men pissing all over and tearing down signs.

The behavior wasn't particularly outrageous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Except he never lied.

They had guns drawn on them by people they mistook as police officers.
Lotche is dumb, and he should not be talking anymore.

He lied. He was not robbed. He was free to wait there until the police arrived. He chose to pay to avoid publicity. Then went back to the village and cried to mommy.
HE WAS NOT ROBBED. Matt Lauer even said it--and I hate Matt Lauer.

Haha. No one is going to say that the swimmers were robbed, we've all seen the response to that: a fee of $47k reduced to$11k.

exactly. I think they were robbed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a publicist, I would NEVER have allowed Ryan to do this interview. At least not yet. He didn't need to "explain himself" to the public or to his sponsors - not like this. There was absolutely no need for him to take more time away from other Olympians and the end of the Olympic games. The proper protocol would have been for him to wait until AFTER the games, as he has already taken so much away from the games and other competitors. So much air time has been devoted to covering his shenanigans, that he just should've laid low for a few more days.

He was also completely unprepared and you can tell he had absolutely no media training prior to this. This is what happens when you use a lawyer for your crisis PR needs instead of pairing the lawyer up with a true publicist who is experienced in this realm. Ryan needed to work with a trainer this weekend on everything from his posture to his language to his enunciation. You can tell that they didn't prepare answers in advance either, as he kept going back to being intoxicated. His sponsors DO NOT want to hear this and they certainly DO NOT want to hear it repeated like an excuse.

It's so unprofessional that he was allowed to do this interview, and that he was allowed to do it without anyone to guide him. He ends up looking like even more of a loser and he did nothing that would make his sponsors think this is a guy they should keep on paying. I feel for him, I really do, and I hope he at least thinks about hiring someone in the PR world - not just for any future interviews he does, but also to control how he re-enters the world of social media and to prevent any future issues like his upcoming birthday party in Vegas that coincides with his gf's paid appearance. He needs to totally avoid any upcoming partying, he honestly needs to send the Playboy playmate packing for now as she's not a good look for him either, and he needs to do some major re-branding and re-imaging before re-emerging in the public eye.

Eh, rich, playboy, and dumb is his public persona, isn't it? That's who he plays on tv, and it seems to be who he is.

Publicist PP here. It has been bis public persona but that doesn't mean it needs to be right now. He could have (and should have) "cleaned up" - his speaking, his mannerisms, etc. It would have demonstrated that he is capable of turning over a new leaf, which is important for both the public and sponsors to see. It wouldn't have seemed genuine tonight, which is why he needed to wait on doing this interview. He needed to lay low until after the games. And then, when the time was right to do the interview, it shouldn't have happened in a studio that he jetted off to on a private plane (there are pics of him and gf flying back and forth to NYC on a private jet). He should've invited Lauer into his home, he should've been more humble in how he handled this interview, and he just looks like an ass who is flaunting his wealth. He's really doing himself a disservice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I, like many regulars on DCUM, am a licensed attorney. Robbery is a specific intent crime. You must have the specific intent to 'steal that which is not yours by threats of violence'. In this case, the security officers were seeking payment for the damage to the gas station. That was there INTENT for legal purposes. There WAS NO ROBBERY under US law. I cannot speak to Brazilian law.

They negotiated a deal with these people. There was no 'robbery'. As a lawyer, it is laughable to hear the repeated chanting of this when there is NO legal basis for it. NONE.

In the US, you cannot put a gun to a creditors head and say give me your f-ing wallet. That is ARMED ROBBERY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recap for those who haven't heard: Ryan Lochte & three other US Olympic swim team members were allegedly robbed at gun point Sunday evening. Now a Brazil judge has issued an order to seize Lochte & Feigen's passports, as Brazil want to hold both for further questioning.

Lochte's attorney says he is already back in the US and has no plans to return for follow up questioning.

Do you think the account was made up? I can't figure out a motive, and think it's odd that FOUR individuals would be in on a false account. At the same time it seems quite coincidental that out of all of the athletes, this happened to Lochte.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/17/sport/olympics-ryan-lochte-robbery-questions/

FALSE - Embarrassing drunk frat boy behavior. And I mean BOY behavior not behavior of a 32 year old man. Why lie? No one would have even known about incident if Lochte didn't lie. I can't believe people on this forum are trying to defend his behavior or justify. Would they do this if it were any of the AA track and field men pissing all over and tearing down signs.

First of all, men in every country do piss outside if they can't find a bathroom. Fact of life.

Second, if AA athletes pissed outside and tore down a sign (even if they embellished about it!), and then got pulled off a plane in Rio and were not allowed to go home? You're absolutely crazy if you don't think Americans would be up in arms, demanding their return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I, like many regulars on DCUM, am a licensed attorney. Robbery is a specific intent crime. You must have the specific intent to 'steal that which is not yours by threats of violence'. In this case, the security officers were seeking payment for the damage to the gas station. That was there INTENT for legal purposes. There WAS NO ROBBERY under US law. I cannot speak to Brazilian law.

They negotiated a deal with these people. There was no 'robbery'. As a lawyer, it is laughable to hear the repeated chanting of this when there is NO legal basis for it. NONE.

In the US, you cannot put a gun to a creditors head and say give me your f-ing wallet. That is ARMED ROBBERY.

And isn't that the O.J. vegas story - they went in with guns to get what was owed to them in their minds. . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a publicist, I would NEVER have allowed Ryan to do this interview. At least not yet. He didn't need to "explain himself" to the public or to his sponsors - not like this. There was absolutely no need for him to take more time away from other Olympians and the end of the Olympic games. The proper protocol would have been for him to wait until AFTER the games, as he has already taken so much away from the games and other competitors. So much air time has been devoted to covering his shenanigans, that he just should've laid low for a few more days.

He was also completely unprepared and you can tell he had absolutely no media training prior to this. This is what happens when you use a lawyer for your crisis PR needs instead of pairing the lawyer up with a true publicist who is experienced in this realm. Ryan needed to work with a trainer this weekend on everything from his posture to his language to his enunciation. You can tell that they didn't prepare answers in advance either, as he kept going back to being intoxicated. His sponsors DO NOT want to hear this and they certainly DO NOT want to hear it repeated like an excuse.

It's so unprofessional that he was allowed to do this interview, and that he was allowed to do it without anyone to guide him. He ends up looking like even more of a loser and he did nothing that would make his sponsors think this is a guy they should keep on paying. I feel for him, I really do, and I hope he at least thinks about hiring someone in the PR world - not just for any future interviews he does, but also to control how he re-enters the world of social media and to prevent any future issues like his upcoming birthday party in Vegas that coincides with his gf's paid appearance. He needs to totally avoid any upcoming partying, he honestly needs to send the Playboy playmate packing for now as she's not a good look for him either, and he needs to do some major re-branding and re-imaging before re-emerging in the public eye.

Do you know that he doesn't have a professional publicist? Because a publicist could recommend all this stuff, but he doesn't have to listen. (If he wants the Playboy va-jay, he wants the Playboy va-jay.)

Publicist PP here. I know for a fact that he doesn't have a crisis publicist to help guide him through this incident. He hired a lawyer who handles crisis situations, but that lawyer is more knowledgable on the legal side of things, less on the media training / actual public relations side of things. (that lawyer also made it abundantly clear that he didn't want to work with anyone else) And there's a huge difference between the two. Really, it was his team (manager, coach, regular publicist) who pushed for the lawyer, because Ryan didn't want to be bothered with doing it himself. He also didn't feel he needed to spend more money on hiring people, and you can't handle situations like this on the cheap. It does cost money, but it is well worth it so that you don't continue to look like an ass in front of the world. Plenty of talented people offered to help him and his team just let it all ride on this lawyer.

For example, earlier tonight, Lochte issued an apology on Brazilian tv tonight, but anyone in the PR world knows that you don't do that on the same night that Brazil beat Germany for the gold medal in soccer. You let the country have their night to celebrate. You let the country get through the games, and before you do anything with US media, you give Brazilian tv the apology. Then you call Matt Lauer and invite him in your home to do the interview. But you make it about Brazil first. These may seem like subtle or even unnecessary things to some people, but this is how you successfully orchestrate a crisis PR campaign when you are about to get banned from your sport and when sponsors have already said they are watching your every move. You don't leave things to chance and you certainly don't think about the few thousands of dollars you have to shell out now - you think of the long term and what you can gain by having the proper team in place to handle all this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a publicist, I would NEVER have allowed Ryan to do this interview. At least not yet. He didn't need to "explain himself" to the public or to his sponsors - not like this. There was absolutely no need for him to take more time away from other Olympians and the end of the Olympic games. The proper protocol would have been for him to wait until AFTER the games, as he has already taken so much away from the games and other competitors. So much air time has been devoted to covering his shenanigans, that he just should've laid low for a few more days.

He was also completely unprepared and you can tell he had absolutely no media training prior to this. This is what happens when you use a lawyer for your crisis PR needs instead of pairing the lawyer up with a true publicist who is experienced in this realm. Ryan needed to work with a trainer this weekend on everything from his posture to his language to his enunciation. You can tell that they didn't prepare answers in advance either, as he kept going back to being intoxicated. His sponsors DO NOT want to hear this and they certainly DO NOT want to hear it repeated like an excuse.

It's so unprofessional that he was allowed to do this interview, and that he was allowed to do it without anyone to guide him. He ends up looking like even more of a loser and he did nothing that would make his sponsors think this is a guy they should keep on paying. I feel for him, I really do, and I hope he at least thinks about hiring someone in the PR world - not just for any future interviews he does, but also to control how he re-enters the world of social media and to prevent any future issues like his upcoming birthday party in Vegas that coincides with his gf's paid appearance. He needs to totally avoid any upcoming partying, he honestly needs to send the Playboy playmate packing for now as she's not a good look for him either, and he needs to do some major re-branding and re-imaging before re-emerging in the public eye.

He does have a PR guy, and apparently a well known one: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ryan-lochte-enlists-pr-guru-920853.

Honestly, I didn't think the interview was that bad. Yes, he said he was drunk a lot, but, hey, he was being honest. And he said "tantics," but probably just mixed a couple words (antics and tantrum maybe??) I thought some of his answer were spot on -- e.g., when ML asked him what his punishment should be and he said something like "that's not my call." ML was an ass, IMO -- acting like it's ridiculous for Lochte to think he was robbed -- like it's normal to get a gun pointed at you for damage to a poster. All this ass kissing for Rio is so over the top.

And even the suggestion that Lochte should be banned from swimming for life is absurd. Phelps got a DUI for driving 84 mph in a 45 zone, and he wasn't banned for life. A number of swimmers at the Olympics had previously tested positive for banned substances, yet they weren't banned for life. Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault, yet he has represented us at the Olympics more than once. I'm sure the list could go on and on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I, like many regulars on DCUM, am a licensed attorney. Robbery is a specific intent crime. You must have the specific intent to 'steal that which is not yours by threats of violence'. In this case, the security officers were seeking payment for the damage to the gas station. That was there INTENT for legal purposes. There WAS NO ROBBERY under US law. I cannot speak to Brazilian law.

They negotiated a deal with these people. There was no 'robbery'. As a lawyer, it is laughable to hear the repeated chanting of this when there is NO legal basis for it. NONE.

In the US, you cannot put a gun to a creditors head and say give me your f-ing wallet. That is ARMED ROBBERY.

Ever heard of a bounty hunter? Please, don't keep piping up about that which have such a feeble understanding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a publicist, I would NEVER have allowed Ryan to do this interview. At least not yet. He didn't need to "explain himself" to the public or to his sponsors - not like this. There was absolutely no need for him to take more time away from other Olympians and the end of the Olympic games. The proper protocol would have been for him to wait until AFTER the games, as he has already taken so much away from the games and other competitors. So much air time has been devoted to covering his shenanigans, that he just should've laid low for a few more days.

He was also completely unprepared and you can tell he had absolutely no media training prior to this. This is what happens when you use a lawyer for your crisis PR needs instead of pairing the lawyer up with a true publicist who is experienced in this realm. Ryan needed to work with a trainer this weekend on everything from his posture to his language to his enunciation. You can tell that they didn't prepare answers in advance either, as he kept going back to being intoxicated. His sponsors DO NOT want to hear this and they certainly DO NOT want to hear it repeated like an excuse.

It's so unprofessional that he was allowed to do this interview, and that he was allowed to do it without anyone to guide him. He ends up looking like even more of a loser and he did nothing that would make his sponsors think this is a guy they should keep on paying. I feel for him, I really do, and I hope he at least thinks about hiring someone in the PR world - not just for any future interviews he does, but also to control how he re-enters the world of social media and to prevent any future issues like his upcoming birthday party in Vegas that coincides with his gf's paid appearance. He needs to totally avoid any upcoming partying, he honestly needs to send the Playboy playmate packing for now as she's not a good look for him either, and he needs to do some major re-branding and re-imaging before re-emerging in the public eye.

He does have a PR guy, and apparently a well known one: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ryan-lochte-enlists-pr-guru-920853.

Honestly, I didn't think the interview was that bad. Yes, he said he was drunk a lot, but, hey, he was being honest. And he said "tantics," but probably just mixed a couple words (antics and tantrum maybe??) I thought some of his answer were spot on -- e.g., when ML asked him what his punishment should be and he said something like "that's not my call." ML was an ass, IMO -- acting like it's ridiculous for Lochte to think he was robbed -- like it's normal to get a gun pointed at you for damage to a poster. All this ass kissing for Rio is so over the top.

And even the suggestion that Lochte should be banned from swimming for life is absurd. Phelps got a DUI for driving 84 mph in a 45 zone, and he wasn't banned for life. A number of swimmers at the Olympics had previously tested positive for banned substances, yet they weren't banned for life. Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault, yet he has represented us at the Olympics more than once. I'm sure the list could go on and on.

As you can see, I addressed the "PR guy" he has in my post. The guy he hired is a lawyer who handles crisis PR situation, but from the legal angle, not from the public relations angle. There's a big difference. Yes, the lawyer is well-known, but in these situations, the best advice is to tag team with a lawyer and a publicist. A publicist knows the nuances of the interviews, a publicist has done so many of these interviews that they can anticipate the questions or even use their connections to get a little inside scoop on the angle of the interview questions, and they can work with the client on how to speak, what words to use and what things to maybe avoid repeating over and over again. The interview was actually really bad and I just hope he holds off on saying / doing anything more for a good while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a publicist, I would NEVER have allowed Ryan to do this interview. At least not yet. He didn't need to "explain himself" to the public or to his sponsors - not like this. There was absolutely no need for him to take more time away from other Olympians and the end of the Olympic games. The proper protocol would have been for him to wait until AFTER the games, as he has already taken so much away from the games and other competitors. So much air time has been devoted to covering his shenanigans, that he just should've laid low for a few more days.

He was also completely unprepared and you can tell he had absolutely no media training prior to this. This is what happens when you use a lawyer for your crisis PR needs instead of pairing the lawyer up with a true publicist who is experienced in this realm. Ryan needed to work with a trainer this weekend on everything from his posture to his language to his enunciation. You can tell that they didn't prepare answers in advance either, as he kept going back to being intoxicated. His sponsors DO NOT want to hear this and they certainly DO NOT want to hear it repeated like an excuse.

It's so unprofessional that he was allowed to do this interview, and that he was allowed to do it without anyone to guide him. He ends up looking like even more of a loser and he did nothing that would make his sponsors think this is a guy they should keep on paying. I feel for him, I really do, and I hope he at least thinks about hiring someone in the PR world - not just for any future interviews he does, but also to control how he re-enters the world of social media and to prevent any future issues like his upcoming birthday party in Vegas that coincides with his gf's paid appearance. He needs to totally avoid any upcoming partying, he honestly needs to send the Playboy playmate packing for now as she's not a good look for him either, and he needs to do some major re-branding and re-imaging before re-emerging in the public eye.

Do you know that he doesn't have a professional publicist? Because a publicist could recommend all this stuff, but he doesn't have to listen. (If he wants the Playboy va-jay, he wants the Playboy va-jay.)

Publicist PP here. I know for a fact that he doesn't have a crisis publicist to help guide him through this incident. He hired a lawyer who handles crisis situations, but that lawyer is more knowledgable on the legal side of things, less on the media training / actual public relations side of things. (that lawyer also made it abundantly clear that he didn't want to work with anyone else) And there's a huge difference between the two. Really, it was his team (manager, coach, regular publicist) who pushed for the lawyer, because Ryan didn't want to be bothered with doing it himself. He also didn't feel he needed to spend more money on hiring people, and you can't handle situations like this on the cheap. It does cost money, but it is well worth it so that you don't continue to look like an ass in front of the world. Plenty of talented people offered to help him and his team just let it all ride on this lawyer.

For example, earlier tonight, Lochte issued an apology on Brazilian tv tonight, but anyone in the PR world knows that you don't do that on the same night that Brazil beat Germany for the gold medal in soccer. You let the country have their night to celebrate. You let the country get through the games, and before you do anything with US media, you give Brazilian tv the apology. Then you call Matt Lauer and invite him in your home to do the interview. But you make it about Brazil first. These may seem like subtle or even unnecessary things to some people, but this is how you successfully orchestrate a crisis PR campaign when you are about to get banned from your sport and when sponsors have already said they are watching your every move. You don't leave things to chance and you certainly don't think about the few thousands of dollars you have to shell out now - you think of the long term and what you can gain by having the proper team in place to handle all this.

Very interesting. Thanks for your take.