Amid the excitement of the Seattle Seahawks’ run to the playoffs, the team’s explosive running back Marshawn Lynch was fined $100,000 for violating the NFL’s media policy, which requires players to speak with the media after practices and after games.

There’s been much debate about the fairness of the NFL’s policy and whether players should be “forced” to speak with the media. On one hand, many feel that Lynch, who is clearly uncomfortable in interview situations, should be left alone and allowed to do what he does best: play football. Others believe that rules are rules and part of Lynch’s job description as a professional football player in the National Football League requires him to fulfill his media duties.

No matter what side of the argument you’re on, here are three lessons we can all learn from the Seahawks’ most reluctant spokesperson:

No matter the question, find a way to transition to your key messages:  So maybe Lynch’s message delivery could use a little refinement and his single-word and mono-phrase responses take the consistent messaging rule a little too literally. However, his recent interactions with the media are a great example of half of the “ATM” method for fielding questions of all sorts: Address the question and Transition to your core Message. Lynch has his messages down, but what company spokespeople should take away is the need to address even unwanted questions and skillfully transition to the key messages that they want to relay. This takes practice and adroit spokespeople know how to communicate the gist of their messages in multiple ways so that they avoid sounding repetitive.

Develop a deep bench of spokespeople: According to the NFL’s media policy, players (there are 53 on a team’s active roster, though only 46 are eligible to suit up for games), the head coach and assistant coaches must make themselves available to speak with the media. As one of the Seahawks’ star players, it’s no wonder Lynch is in high demand. But with so many other players and coaches available to do interviews does he really need to be put in the media hot seat? The lesson here for companies is to ensure that you have multiple people within your organization – from the CEO to product experts – trained to speak with the media.

Find other avenues to communicate your messages: Traditional print, broadcast, and online media are not always the best ways to reach your target audiences. For some companies social media may be a better medium. And within social media, not all networks or platforms may be optimal for reaching the right decision makers and influencers. When developing your communications programs and campaigns, know where your key audiences are. In Lynch’s case, while he may be unwilling to speak with reporters, he (or his proxy) is active on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram where there appears to be high engagement with his followers and fans. Arguably, they could be Lynch’s most important audience.

There’s a lot of speculation about why Lynch shies away from the media, but one thing is certain: His actions on the football field do the talking for him.