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Damage control: Schools must handle fallout when scandals occur [Tulsa World, Okla.](Tulsa World (OK) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 14-- The Year of the Scandal is spilling into 2012. This week, Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino was fired after it was discovered he had hired his 25-year-old mistress and repeatedly misled his employer and the media. "Coach Petrino abused his authority when over the past few weeks, he made a staff decision and personal choices that benefited himself and jeopardized the integrity of the football program," athletic director Jeff Long said during Tuesday's news conference. The incident was the latest in a string of embarrassing situations that rocked college sports last year at schools like Ohio State, North Carolina, Miami, Syracuse and most notably Penn State. In February, TCU made headlines for a drug bust involving four football players. "Sometimes we have seen behaviors that don't match our values," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in January at the NCAA's annual convention in Indianapolis. "We do have some people that want to win at all costs. "We have some student-athletes that don't care about getting an education and some that simply don't get the education they deserve. The worst thing to me is that they completely overshadow all of the good things that are going on in intercollegiate athletics." Bad decisions by individuals, such as a player accepting money from a booster, may appear to be the root of the problem, but some say the issue is with college sports itself. "The 'win at all costs' mentality that exists in sports programs is problematic," said Cheryl Cooky, a sports sociologist and professor at Purdue, "and in many of these cases contributes to athletes, coaches, university administrators making certain decisions over others." Cooky points out the major recent scandals have occurred in the most popular sports, football and men's basketball, and usually within big-time programs. "When the scandals happen, the response is often one of surprise or shock," she said. "But if we really were to focus critically on the values that are in sports programs, we wouldn't be surprised. "We would sort of say, 'Wow, why doesn't this happen more often?' Or, 'Why aren't we seeing it more often?' " Tulsa football coach Bill Blankenship disagrees. "When you have the kind of contracts and power and ability to hire and fire that comes with a CEO-level position, you are more susceptible to those public failings," he said. "I think there is a human nature. ... We see it all the time, power, when given freedom of rein, tends to bring out the worst in us. "I still believe very strongly and very adamantly that personal conduct is a personal choice and your integrity is your choice." Regardless of who is at fault, when dirty laundry has been aired, the university is left trying to decide how to react. "From a media-relations perspective, probably the first step is to acknowledge to the public that you're aware of the circumstance," said Kenny Mossman, senior associate athletic director at Oklahoma. "That at least allows you to communicate something immediately. "After that, as the investigation continues, you determine a period when you have enough information to make another statement, and that can vary. Sometimes you have information at your fingertips immediately, but other times it may take a few days." In today's digital age, news spreads like viral wildfire. Steve Dittmore, a sports public-relations expert and a professor at Arkansas, said addressing the situation as soon as possible is key, like TCU did after the football players' arrests. "The more time that elapses, the more that the media will interview each other, the more that message-board rumors will go unchecked and seem to get more legs and things of that nature," Dittmore said. "I don't know how else you control that, other than to get as much information out and open up a line of communication and say, 'Hey, we'll have something at this point and time.' " What came to light at Penn State last fall created the mother of all scandals, and the university came under fire for its response. After former football assistant Jerry Sandusky was arrested and charged with the sexual assault of eight boys, a previously scheduled news conference was canceled without explanation. OU's media-relations department is trained to deal with adverse situations, like when quarterback Rhett Bomar was dismissed in 2006 after it was discovered he had been paid for work he didn't do at a booster-owned car dealership. "None of us embrace bad news, obviously, but I think the ability to respond professionally, ethically, can ease the difficulty," Mossman said. "We would prefer that all the news that comes out of any of our institutions be positive and would be all we'd have to deal with, but we know realistically that any time you have a large collection of people there will be times where there will be times of hardship. "I think your ability to respond to it, the effectiveness of your interior communication will dictate how well you react." Brent Gooden, president of The Gooden Group, a public-relations firm in Edmond, said it's crucial for universities to be forthcoming. "Nothing can escalate a crisis higher and faster than insufficient information," he said. "Poor handling of events can cripple a brand or person's reputation for years. "Always respond thoughtfully, quickly and, most importantly, truthfully." While some scandals can be prevented, others could happen anywhere, said Blankenship, who dealt with the dismissal of star Damaris Johnson last season after felony-embezzlement charges. "I think the thing you see in life is those things often occur at very unexpected places," he said. "It's sad to say we have human failure and frailty that show up in school, church, athletics. "The old story of tell one lie, you have to tell another and you're snowballed past a personal decision that was horrible to something that affects everyone." NOTABLE SCANDALS IN COLLEGE SPORTS Penn State football, 2011 Former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period. Immediate reaction: Days later, legendary head coach football Joe Paterno was prepared to answer questions about Sandusky during his weekly news conference, but university President Graham Spanier canceled the news conference 45 minutes before it was scheduled to begin. Eventual fallout: Several high-level school officials were charged with perjury, suspended or dismissed after accusations of a cover-up. Spanier was forced to resign, and Paterno was fired. He died less than three months later at age 85. Duke lacrosse, 2006 Three members of the men's team were accused of rape by a stripper they hired for an off-campus party. Immediate reaction: The team was suspended for two games, and a week later coach Mike Pressler was forced to resign and the rest of the season was canceled. Eventual fallout: A year later, the woman's claims were found to be false and all charges were dropped. District Attorney Mike Nifong was removed and disbarred in 2007 for "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation." Baylor basketball, 2003 Junior forward Patrick Dennehy was found shot to death more than a month after his disappearance. Teammate Carlton Dotson had confessed to a relative and been charged with murder. Immediate reaction: Baylor and the NCAA began to investigate allegations of drug use among players and players receiving payments. Eventual fallout: Dave Bliss was forced to resign as head coach after confessing to paying Dennehy and ignoring the players' drug use, and athletic director Tom Stanton also resigned. Self-imposed punishments included the elimination of one year of nonconference play, and a 10-year show-cause penalty on Bliss. Dotson was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Michigan basketball, 1996 An investigation into a car accident involving recruit Mateen Cleaves revealed a relationship between the basketball program and longtime booster Ed Martin. Immediate reaction: The university looked into the relationship and discovered Martin hosted players at a party before the crash. He also had been loaning recruits and players thousands of dollars. Eventual fallout: The investigation continued for six years. Coach Steve Fisher was fired for his involvement, and more than 100 wins were forfeited, among other NCAA-issued punishments. Southern Methodist football, 1986 A former player told the NCAA that his family received large sums of money for him signing with the university. Immediate reaction: The NCAA began an investigation that eventually revealed 13 players were paid a total of $61,000 through a booster slush fund. Eventual fallout: SMU was given the death penalty. The 1987-88 seasons were canceled, and bans also were placed on practices and scholarships. Kelly Hines 918-581-8452 [email protected] ___ (c)2012 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at www.tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |