Kobe Bryant may be the most famous athlete to be charged with a crime during his playing days, but in some ways he is not so different from an airline whose plane has crashed, or a soft-drink maker whose products have been contaminated.

The techniques of responding to the crisis and protecting the brand name are largely the same, said Richard C. Hyde, executive vice president at Hill & Knowlton, a firm that specializes in helping corporate clients react to disasters.

"I think there are many things in common with sports celebrities and corporate clients," said Hyde, who is in charge of the company's crisis communications management in the United States. "You go through an assessment process from a communications standpoint -- what's important, what you're going to say. Whether it's the chief executive of a company, the pilot of the plane or a celebrity, nothing can replace a genuine expression of feeling. Body language is important. It may be more important than the words. Some researchers have said 75 percent to 93 percent of what people remember is how someone acted, how they looked, what their expressions were. It's important to show a human being is there."

Little was left to chance at Bryant's news conference. The hair on his head and face was close-cropped and neatly trimmed, in contrast to his police mug shot. Within hours of the filing of sexual assault charges against him, Bryant was on TV with his wife by his side saying he was "disgusted at myself for making the mistake of adultery" but denying criminal acts. He told her, "You're a piece of my heart, you're the air that I breathe."

Nearby sat attorney Pamela Mackey, part of a legal team whose clients have included former NHL star Patrick Roy. The goalie was arrested in a domestic violence incident in 2000 after his wife called 911 during an argument in which he broke down two doors. The defense team made the save when Roy's wife came forward to say she was in a different room when he broke the doors, and charges were dropped.

The Bryant case poses perhaps the greatest challenge yet for what become a growth industry -- protecting or rehabilitating the images of star athlete in trouble.