Preventing & Handling Crisis Public Relations in Yale Athletics
By Steve Conn, Yale Assistant AD & Sports Publicity Director May 28, 2006
We have had the recent misfortune of dealing with numerous crisis events, not unlike our colleagues around the country. The situation at Duke this spring and websites like badjocks.com have increased the scrutiny on college athletes off the field, while students of all types do not seem concerned about avoiding the notoriety. We should constantly remind our student-athletes about the potential for damaging publicity, situations that may cause a crisis. Other examples of a crisis might be the death or injury of a student or a problem with a team or coach. However, team member indiscretions can be the most damaging of the bad publicity. Please realize that no single set of guidelines can cover everything that you might encounter, but the following list could help prevent you from creating a crisis or enhancing one.
Here are some things you can do to avoid the destructive publicity.
- Be proactive
- ask kids what they are doing for the weekend
- its worth being perceived as anal or annoying
- Educate
o keep student-athletes updated with latest news and examples of problems
o explain how indiscretions can destroy a team and let your teammates down
- Be observant and inquisitive
o coaches should take notice of athletes
o athletes should look around when socializing off the field
- Confirm captains commitment to the team
o converse about sensitive subjects
o have them take ownership with unique ideas
- Adopt philosophy that you wont become victims of enhanced media
o post information as reminders in locker area
o use media to help promote positives with your program
- Dont ever think it cant happen here
o we all have to do our part to prevent this
o ask your student-athletes if they can remember any situations that could have turned into a PR crisis
Important Questions to Ask Yourself When a Crisis Occurs
1. Do I need to share this information with anyone?
o its always better for you to tell the AD or your Associate rather than having them find out elsewhere
o you are always better off getting some direction or advice
o if this is newsworthy, you dont want superiors to find out by reading it in the newspaper
2. Who else needs to know at Yale?
o Office of Public Affairs (OPA) might handle all issues that result from an event that was not team related
o OPA will also inform the president if needed (confidential information will remain that way)
o Sports Publicity Office (SPO) is involved if this issue effects something on the website (roster, etc.)
o SPO can also help gauge the media interest and feedback if the issue is newsworthy
o SPO can also help determine a spin on the dissemination of the information
3. Do you need feedback from the person directly involved in the situation?
o this certainly depends on the situation
o after an athlete was involved in a near-fatal incident, we asked how he would like us to handle media inquiries
o we have had situations where parents needed to be contacted to give the ok to disseminate information
o sometimes a statement from the primary subject in the issue will suffice
4. If the situation will result in an announcement from the department or the university, what needs to be considered?
o notify team members or anyone else who will be directly impacted by the announcement
o consider the reactions/ramifications from all sectors before making information public
o always assume confidential information will leak when you have a situation involving students and there is student media
o one voice representing the school is best
o collect all the facts before saying anything
5. What do I say if questioned by the media?
o you might get caught off guard by an inquiry, and its fine only to say I need to get back to you (gather facts, speak with others)
o it is OK to say nothing and avoid providing something you might regret before having a chance to think about it
o a reporter may be telling you something that is NOT true, so taking a little time will help
o be honest and give the perception that you are on top of things
o never say no comment or I would rather not comment because it might imply that you are holding back information
o you might find that some questions should be directed to the head of the department or your direct superior
o nothing should be said off the record
o dont forget some students are also members of the media and deserve similar treatment