Sports: an NFL issue

1.    What is the link to Crisis Management?

Bounties/payment have been offered in the New Orleans Saints Team to players who make a point of hurting particular appointments. This is a crisis management issue as it goes beyond the rules of any sporting contest, intentionally hurting an individual for a financial incentive.

2.    What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system is at an issues stage for the NFL Corporation and the government.  The NFL Commissioner needs to decide what penalties to give players who were involved in the Saints’ scheme from 2009-11.  For the government, the assistant Senate is examining whether federal law should make this bounty system a crime.

For the New Orleans Saint’s head coach and defensive coordinator, this is a risk as they have been suspended. For the team this is also a risk as the team was docked two second-round draft picks and $500,000.

3.    How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The system is handling the well.  Senator Dick Durbin has set up a judiciary committee hearing about bounties in professional football. Further he has addressed the need with standards to ensure that this doesn’t happen again and are exploring whether it is necessary to have federal legislation.

4.    What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

The system has a level 1 for preparedness.  They didn’t foresee this would happen, that in a sporting contest, one would be paid to intentionally harm another person. The system did not have anything in place to address the issue, since it was the first to be revealed.

5.    What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I do not consider myself an NFL fan and when I first read this story what caught my eye was the differentiation between what is considered wrong in society and what is considered wrong in sports. If an individual paid a hit man to kill someone, there would be penalties of jail time. In the case of the NFL, they are doing an investigation on the case and only the head of coach has been suspended for a year.  Further I was surprised that the players involved were not suspended or under review at this point in time.

6.    What advice would you offer to those involved?

Similar to regulation of drugs and steroids in sports, regulations will need to be in place to ensure that teams are not giving bounties/payments under the table or behind closed doors I would suggest then that the NFL corporation and government need to decide what those regulations should be. This should be an open and transparent process that is available to the public. Further, the Saints Team will need to build their brand and reputation back, especially the head coach. Communications as this issue progresses should be honest in order to build back the credibility of fans.

Article Source:
 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/senator-calls-hearing-to-examine-bounties-in-nfl/article2378805/