Seahawks mania is at an all-time high in Seattle. The city is plastered with the iconic 12th man flags and not a moment goes by when there isn’t something on TV, radio or online about the team’s march to the Super Bowl. And of course, the big story that everyone is talking about is Richard Sherman’s famous post-game interview with Erin Andrews. Much has already been written about the interview so I won’t re-hash what happened. If you missed the interview and the fallout that ensued, you can go here and here for a recap.

Yes he’s brash, but trash talking is part of the game and we would be naïve to think that what Sherman said is the worst that’s been uttered on the field. Although we are big Seahawks fans in the Communiqué PR office, the point of this post is not to defend what he said because we agree that it was unsportsmanlike and slightly tarnished Sunday’s big win. But, I do believe that the heat of the moment and adrenaline can make even the smartest person say not-so-smart things.

As PR practitioners, we’ve all had our own cringe-worthy experiences with spokespeople who have gone off message or said something they shouldn’t have in an interview. Unlike Sherman, the one advantage they had was a PR pro at their side to help them navigate the situation. The events surrounding Sherman’s interview are a reminder of the key actions individuals or companies should take when faced with a PR maelstrom, no matter how big or small:

– Act quickly. Sometimes it takes stepping back from the situation to fully realize the impact, but don’t wait too long. Social media lit up immediately after the interview and within hours, Sherman published an op-ed explaining the background behind his rant.

– Be honest. Be transparent and provide as much information and background as possible. It turns out that Sherman was mic’d up during the game, and the claims he made in his op-ed and subsequent interviews were later substantiated when NFL released the audio.

– Own your actions. Controversies almost always leave victims in their wake and it’s important to own up to your actions. In this case, Sherman apologized to the subject of his rant as well as to his Seattle Seahawks teammates for taking the attention away from the game.

Despite the controversy, look what‘s happened:

– The story dominated social media and the airwaves, with all of the major morning shows, news broadcasts and news outlets still talking days later about the interview and its fallout.

– He landed the cover of Sports Illustrated.

– Within 24 hours of the interview, his Twitter followers more than doubled, growing from 268,000 to 567,000. He’s now closing in on nearly 700,000 followers.

– Sherman jerseys are now among the top 10 best-selling jerseys in the league and he is the only defensive player in the top 10.

– I’m not an advocate of “any PR is good PR,” but Sherman is top of mind, which could prove to be very lucrative for product endorsement deals. As the Los Angeles Times’ David Horsey points out, “Sherman is the most talked-about player and the most sought-after interview subject in the days before the big game. Soon, he will be sought after by commercial sponsors who will make him very rich.” On the same day of his post-game rant, Nike and Beats by Dre released new ads featuring Sherman. Coincidence? Maybe, but as a marketer, you couldn’t ask for better timing.

Like so many others before him who have endured their share of controversy, the public’s memory is short and soon this will be overshadowed by the next big Super Bowl story, like the looming threat of snow and sub-zero weather on game day.

Since the interview on Jan. 19, Richard Sherman has proven that he’s an adept communicator and if we can offer one tip it’s this: move on from this controversy. While interviewers may want to fixate on his rant, he can take control of the interviews and use this platform to articulate other, more positive messages. On a tactical level, we might suggest using the tried-and-true ATM method: address the question, then transition to your message.

GO SEAHAWKS!