In the hours after video clips showed Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann standing face-to-face with a Native American man during a rally in Washington, D.C., the incident went viral and drew a huge backlash against the teen and the Northern Kentucky school.

But by Sunday evening, the coverage of what happened provided a more detailed account of events, along with a statement from Sandmann that seemed to tamp down the explosion of anger against the teen — thanks in part to extended video from the rally and the involvement of Louisville public relations firm RunSwitch PR.

On Sunday night, Sandmann released a three-page statement in which Nick defended his actions and offered his version of events. Describing himself as a Christian and practicing Catholic, he wrote that the Native American man, Nathan Phillips, had approached him, not the other way around. Phillips supported that in separate interviews later in the weekend.

Read this:Massie defends Covington students: 'It is my honor to represent them'

Asked about its role, RunSwitch released a statement saying that the firm "has been retained by the Sandmann family to offer professional counsel with what has become a national media story. We are working with the family to ensure an accurate recounting of events which occurred this past weekend.”

RunSwitch partners Steve Bryant and Gary Gerdemann said that Sandmann family asked people they knew over the weekend about getting help with handling the media.

"They reached out to our firm, and we responded," said Bryant, adding that the business specializes in crisis management "all over the country."

Scott Jennings, a conservative political commentator and a columnist for the Courier Journal, is the third partner in RunSwitch.

The original short video showed Sandmann, wearing a bright red "Make America Great Again" hat, facing Phillips as the man pounded an indigenous drum and chanted. A larger group of students jumped and clapped to the beat while Sandmann appeared to smirk at the man. He and Phillips were nearly touching in the video.

The impression was that the teen was being disrespectful and fellow students were glad to egg on a confrontation. Covington Catholic High and the Diocese of Covington condemned the behavior of the students, with the diocese vowing to open an investigation.

More:McConnell has ceded all power to Trump in government shutdown, Yarmuth says

Sandmann and his family's statement said in part that the teen wasn't trying to inflame tensions.

"I believed that by remaining motionless and calm, I was helping to diffuse the situation. I realized everyone had cameras and that perhaps a group of adults was trying to provoke a group of teenagers into a larger conflict. I said a silent prayer that the situation would not get out of hand," he said in the statement.

"... I did smile at one point because I wanted him to know that I was not going to become angry, intimidated or be provoked into a larger confrontation."

The statement came amid a pivot on coverage of the story on Sunday, after more video emerged showing other protesters at the scene yelling at and taunting the Covington students. Phillips told the Detroit Free Press that he stepped in to diffuse the crowd of students who were interacting with a group identified as the Black Hebrew Israelites.

The students started to get upset by the taunts. Sandmann said the group of African-American protesters called the students racists, bigots and incest kids, among other derogatory names.

Read this:Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is going to Canada for surgery

A few faith leaders in Louisville weighed in Monday, when many appeared at events to celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in his daily podcast Monday that the incidents involving the Covington students show how easily social media and subsequent coverage can spiral into mischaracterizations.

Mohler also sympathized with the students, who may not have understood how to respond to such a volatile situation. He asked: "Where were the chaperones and why didn't they assert themselves?"

Rick Blackwell, president of DeSales High School in south Louisville, said his school sent 15 boys and two chaperones. None of the Louisville group was near where the Covington Catholic students were that afternoon.

But he said the incident will be the focus of a school-wide discussion Tuesday about how to respect other people and "ways to be a witness to your values."

The point won't be to criticize the Covington Catholic teens, but to remind the DeSales students how to respond and respect the views of others, "even if you disagree," Blackwell said.

Grace Schneider: 502-582-4082; gschneider@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @gesinfk. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/graces.

Monday night:Trump tweets that Covington Catholic students were 'treated unfairly'

Covington Catholic parent:'Nothing the chaperones could have done differently'

More:Jeff Ruby invites Nathan Phillips to 'break bread' with CovCath kids