DAMAGE CONTROL: Ryan Lochte Hires Justin Bieber’s CRISIS PR Guy

Suddenly find your career in tatters after some sort of major indiscretion? Like telling the world (via your mommy) that you got robbed at gun point when you were really on a late night bender? Better call crisis PR guru Matthew Hiltzik. In what could be noted as his only good move in days, Ryan Lochte has done just that.

Lochte, 32, has officially hired Hiltzik Strategies to deal with the intense fallout following his now infamous “look mom! I got robbed at the 2016 Rio Olympics!”

“Hiltzik has helped celebrities including Justin Bieber, Harvey Weinstein and Alec Baldwin in the past,” The Wrap’s Brian Flood wrote. “Hiltzik also works with troubled athletes — he helped MLB star Ryan Braun when he was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. Lochte’s claim that he and his teammates were robbed — which Brazilian police say is false — could cost him sponsorships and endorsement deals.” h/t sportingnews

Lochte has a lot more to lose than just his reputation as a truthful person, he could also lose his sponsorship deals with Speedo, Airwaves and Polo Ralph Lauren, each worth an estimated $1 million a year.