Mark McGwire this month admitted he used steroids and performance-enhancing drugs in pursuit of baseball’s home run record in 1998. He no doubt felt he was between a rock and a white-hot spotlight.

Therein lies the crisis communications and public relations quandary of athletes, celebrities and others in the public arena, whether in South Florida, on Main Street or the baseball diamond.

If you were confronted with an accusation that – if true – could irreparably tarnish your reputation, would you lie about it, hoping no one would ever find out?

Or would you come clean immediately, submit to the mercy of the court of public opinion – hoping that people would understand that you were caught (and caught up) in a common practice at that time? After all, names like Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmero, Jason Giambi, Benito Santiago, Gary Sheffield, Lenny Dykstra and others were listed in the Mitchell Commission report as being linked to performance-enhancing substances.

Lamentably, too many choose Option No. 1. They lie, and hope they can get away with it.

Before you lie to the public, your peers, or the authorities, ask yourself whether you’ll look like a liar. After all, impressions carry tremendous weight among the public.

Our advice: If all signs point to a duck, then be the duck. Tell the truth. Admit your transgression early, beg for forgiveness, and hope for mercy. People generally are forgiving – or forgetful – as time passes.

A caveat: We’re only speaking about non-criminal proceedings here. When the law is involved, legal counsel should be consulted along with crisis communications counsel to determine the best course of action.

Sure, any suggestion to just “tell the truth” may seem simple. It may even seem sophomoric. But on numerous occasions, executives come to public relations professionals seeking counsel on how to handle a potential crisis communications situation. Sometimes they are trying to mitigate an embarrassing dilemma. Other times, it’s about putting a favorable spin on a legal situation.

In most instances, it’s about more than the short-term damage. How will your reputation – or that of your company – survive? Can McGwire’s reputation survive an asterisk beside his name in the record books – especially after coming out regarding performance-enhancing drugs years later? “Years later” for McGwire take on importance as his name comes up for consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

For McGwire, a business executive or anyone whose public reputation can affect their livelihood, if a stain can smear your name, dispel suspicion. Remove the taint. Explain your case. And hope your name survives the test of time.