Larry Twombly, CEO of Hat Trick Beverages, a small California company that sells “vitality water,” got a great break when USA Today decided to profile him and his company. Twombly and his PR firm, Emerson Gerard Associates of West Palm Beach, Fla., must have been absolutely thrilled to tell the national newspaper about the CEO’s colorful life — including his attendance at Harvard and his drafting by the NHL’s Boston Bruins.

Of course, it’s always nice if such claims can be verified. USA Today published a lengthy article today that questions whether much of anything Twombly told the paper was the truth. Twombly defended his statements to the paper as accurate; however, an embarrassed Jerry Jennings of Emerson Gerard broke with his client. Jennings told USA Today, “We were misled and apologize for any misunderstandings. We have no reason to doubt our clients.”

I feel for the mortified Jennings. Personally, I’ve never lied to or attempted to mislead a reporter; however, I’ve been in the room when questionable claims have been made without my OK. It almost always comes back to bite you.

The great benefit of telling the truth — the whole truth — is that you never have to remember what you said. You also never have to read painfully humiliating pieces about you in USA Today.