Editor’s note: A version of this post was originally published as an op-ed in PRDaily.

Rutgers University in New Jersey announced today that it has fired its Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Rice.

There’s no doubt that terminating Rice’s employment was the only remaining course of action for the university to follow. Still, it’s akin to applying a public relations Band Aid: a temporary fix that takes place after the damage is already done. And what damage it is.

Continue reading " Rutgers PR crisis stems from months of woeful inaction "

We now can say with certainty that we know what was needed to get the National Football League (NFL) to end its impasse with the National Football League Referees Association (NFLRA).

It wasn’t the increasing frustration of the fans, who took to Twitter and sports talk radio to voice their extreme displeasure, and 70,000 of whom reportedly flooded league-office phones with angry calls. Can you imagine the look on Commissioner Roger Goodell’s face upon being told by the automated voicemail attendant, “You have 70,000 new messages. Message one …”

Continue reading " Lessons from the NFL’s Crisis Playbook "

The events of this past week have effectively re-written the history of Penn State University. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) handed down unprecedented sanctions against the school, which erased 14 years of football victories, reduced football scholarships and prohibited bowl appearances for the next four years and divested the university of $60 million in funds,  Even before these sanctions were announced, university administrators  took action by directing the removal of the Joe Paterno statue that stood outside Beaver Stadium.

Continue reading " Important Lessons from Penn State "

When Ozzie Guillén, manager of the rebranded Miami Marlins, inserted the proverbial foot-in-mouth during an interview with TIME magazine, where he stated, “I love Fidel Castro,” I immediately began to question the Marlins’ management strategy.

I thought, “Clearly this guy has no understanding of local politics. Clearly he has no understanding of what so many of us lived through in a Fidel-Castro-Cuban regime. Clearly the Marlins management doesn’t necessarily know what it’s doing to the brand.” I wasn’t alone.

To give you some quick background: What Guillén said is highly offensive to many Hispanics of Cuban origin, especially to those who are older. Cubans did not come to the U.S. looking for a better job or a better economic opportunity. Many lawyers, doctors, engineers, journalists and professionals left their homes, careers and even families because of political oppression and the sheer lack of simple human rights — all attributed to Castro and his followers.

Just as recently as last month, during the Pope’s visit to Cuba, he reiterated how important it was to keep in mind human rights above all else in the island. He urged the Cuban people, “that you may strive to build a renewed and open society, a better society, one more worthy of humanity.”

Having been personally affected by this communist regime, I was taken aback upon hearing about Guillen’s remarks. The fact that he was suspended for five games for his comment didn’t seem like “enough” to me initially. Then, I thought, “How could the Marlins public relations team not have provided such important market-sensitive information?”

Continue reading " No Grand Slam for Miami Marlins’ PR Practices "

The crisis enveloping Penn State has taken the world by storm. In less than two weeks, it has become one of the most engrossing scandals in recent memory. As in most crises, the University’s response is being heavily dissected and debated among the commentariat.

We asked several respected college public relations professionals — those who manage on-campus crises in their daily work — for insight into the lessons the University’s response offers public relations professionals.

As we wrote last week in PRSAY, this situation is more than a mere PR crisis or a “PR catastrophe” (as The New York Times pegged it). It goes far beyond that, evoking issues of management and culture, morality and how big-time college athletics fits within higher education.

In short, this isn’t a PR issue; it’s a management issue. This does not showcase poor public relations; it reflects poor leadership.

Continue reading " Analysis: PR Lessons From The Penn State Crisis "