Big PR News this week!
Jim Tressel, the OSU football coach, was fined $250,000 and suspended to 2 games next season because he apparently did not tell NCAA officials that he was aware of some "frowned upon" behavior by his players. The details of the story you can get somewhere else, but I want to talk about the PR aspect of this story. Should OSU back Tressel if the NCAA comes to inflict a bigger punishment? Should Tressel be working on his own to improve his tarnished reputation? Should the players come to his aid?
I am not a sports fanatic by any means, so I am not completely aware of all the no-no's in collegiate level sports, but I do know that this is a good lesson in crisis communication for OSU, Mr. Tressel and his players. They need to be working to get this stain off of their reputation. Let me know what you think about this story......I would be interested to hear from some people who are more sports savvy than I am.
About Me
- elizabeth
- A recent graduate of Ohio Northern University, I picked up my entire life 3 weeks after graduation and moved to Louisville, Kentucky to begin my professional career and new life.
As a Columbus native who has been watching Ohio State football my entire life, I can attest to how important the Buckeyes are in Columbus. We live and breath OSU football! Despite the fact that Tressel broke an NCAA rule (which in my opinion is ridiculous), I don't think it will be hard for him to maintain a positive reputation among OSU fans. As long as we are winning, I don't really care what else is going on. Tressel is a proven winner, so I will support him throughout "Tattoogate".
ReplyDeleteI disagree, and think Tressel's positive reputation is going to take a hit. From his by-the-book tactics on the field to his tacky game-day sweater vests, Tressel has been known by one of the "good guys" among DI football coaches. I don't know if you guys were able to catch the press conference, but in my opinion, it hurt him more than it helped. Not once throughout this entire happening has he apologized and admitted he was in the wrong. The other thing to take into consideration, is that he did not come forward and admit to cheating. Typically the schools/coaches that come forward and self-report the issue, do not face as serious as a charge. From what I've read, it sounds like the NCAA is really going to hammer him. Guess we'll have to see!
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, although I am an OSU fan, I do not follow football happenings very closely. But I agree with you, Ellen. Transparency has obviously become the #1 issue in dealing with problems as they occur in our media-driven world. And one of the books we had to read for this week, New Influencers, addresses exactly this issue.
ReplyDeleteOne of the examples Gillin brings up is the Sony rootkit scandal. But he notes that if Sony had been UPFRONT and HONEST about the issue, their reputation may not have been affected as much as it was when they tried to cover up the scandal.
I think admitting you were wrong and apologizing is key in situations like these. But I suppose some semblance of sincerity is also very important. When Tiger Woods made his public apology after his own scandal, I didn't get the sense of very much sincerity behind his apology - and many of the comments from others were about Woods' stiffness and non-emotional words. So even if Tressel did admit/apologize, there would have to be a sincere commitment behind his words to avoid any backlash.
Great point though!