Ryan Lochte Enlists Top Crisis Communications Pro Matthew Hiltzik Following Olympic Scandal
Matthew Hiltzik is joining Lochte's team as an advisor, ABC News has confirmed.
— -- Ryan Lochte is following in the footsteps of other embattled public figures and has enlisted sought-after crisis communications professional Matthew Hiltzik, ABC News has confirmed.
The move follows the backlash the U.S. Olympic swimmer has endured following claims that he and his teammates were robbed in Rio last week. Lochte apologized Friday, posting on his social media accounts, "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."
Hiltzik, whose firm Hiltzik Strategies has offices in New York and Los Angeles, confirmed to ABC News on Friday that he has been brought on by Lochte's team as an advisor.
The corporate communications and PR guru is no stranger to athletes in crisis: He's worked with football player Manti Te'o (who claimed he had a cancer-stricken girlfriend), basketball player Tony Parker (who's alleged infidelity was splashed across tabloid covers), and baseball player Ryan Braun (who tested positive for an abnormally high level of testosterone). Hiltzik has also worked with several owners, coaches, and players from all of the major sporting leagues.
Hiltzik, a licensed attorney, has also worked with a slew of Hollywood and media figures, including Justin Bieber, Alec Baldwin, and Katie Couric.