This week’s class topic is about sports teams and crisis communication. And wouldn’t you know it? A public relations crisis is exactly what’s brewing now with a sports team twenty-five miles down the road from me. To fill you in, former members of the University of Iowa football team who are of the African-American race recently took to social media to share instances of being treated differently within the program because of the color of their skin. Chris Doyle, the Hawkeyes’ longtime strength and conditioning coach, was named specifically as an aggressor in the accounts. This weekend, he was placed on administrative leave by the program, pending an investigation (Fornelli, 2020).
Here’s where we get to do a little role play: for this post, we must act as if we are part of the athletics department at Iowa and the information is just coming in. At the outset, we have to think like journalists and the general public and determine the points that will most likely need addressing. The first obvious question here would be, what is Hawkeye Football doing about the accusations levied by its former black players? Given the situation that the United States is currently in with regards to racial discrimination, minimizing the concerns would be a grave mistake. A crisis plan could then look something like this.
Situation: Former players say they were not treated respectfully during their time at Iowa.
Crisis Communication Plan:
- We’ve already identified the situation, so the next step is to bring in the staff person in charge of crisis communication.
- The administrator, as they’re called, will compile what is known about the situation then assemble the crisis communication team.
- A conference will take place to determine the next steps and who will carry them out.
- The response is planned (Special Olympics, n.d.).
External communications in the response should include a traditional press release to the media, a website post and e-mail to fans and donors, and social media content. Now the media and the public will have their own reaction to the response, which may be negative. Here’s how we would prepare for that.
Situation: Fans are unhappy with the response to the incident.
Crisis Communication Plan:
- Administrators must decide whether the reaction warrants further intervention. If it does, the steps in the first situation should be implemented.
- It may be necessary to conduct news conferences to provide additional developments on the situation, plus more external communication like e-mails. Only those employees authorized to speak on the matter should do so.
- Decide whether visuals will be needed for communication purposes. The images must be of an appropriate nature.
- Consider further initiatives that demonstrate the concerns of the community are being heard (University of South Florida, n.d.).
Last, we anticipate that a conclusion will eventually be reached on the future of Chris Doyle, one way or the other. Based on past experiences, this is how that will be handled.
Situation: Administration is ready to announce Chris Doyle’s status.
Crisis communication plan:
- The crisis communication team will notify the media of an impromptu news conference, to be held at a specific time in a specific location. News organizations will carry the event live via traditional broadcast and web streaming.
- The information will be sent in a news release to media plus shared with the general public through the athletics website, social media, and e-mail.
- Hold a final meeting with the administration and crisis communication team to evaluate the methods used and revise as needed (University of South Florida, n.d.).
These are very basic–and interchangeable–steps for the University of Iowa to take, and they already have through the release of a statement from head coach Kirk Ferentz, posted below. Still, there will be much more to come on this in the days ahead.
References
Fornelli, T. (2020, June 7). Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle refutes allegations of negative experiences made by former players. Retrieved from https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/iowa-strength-coach-chris-doyle-refutes-allegations-of-negative-experiences-made-by-former-players/
Special Olympics. (n.d.). Crisis communications. [PDF File]. Retrieved from http://media.specialolympics.org/soi/files/resources/Communications/Guides/CrisisCommunicationPlan.pdf
University of South Florida. (n.d.). Crisis communications. [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://www.usf.edu/pdfs/Crisis-Communication-Plan.pdf