New Orleans SaintsCrisis Communication Plan

Scenario: The New Orleans Saints are accused of running a bounty program aimed at injuring opposing players. Multiple players have been implicated in this scheme and the press is waiting for a reaction from the team.

Saints Crisis Communication Plan:

Table of contents:• 1.0: Situation Description• 2.0: SWOT Analysis• 3.0: Key Roles• 4.0: Media Contacts• 5.0: Target Audience• 6.0: Goals of Communication• 7.0: Traditional Press Release• 7.1: Digital Media Press Release• 7.2: Letter Sample and Response• 8.0: Pitfalls to Avoid when addressing Hispanic Audience• 9.0: Player Assistance Program• 10.0: Statistics

Section 1: Situation Description

Situational Analysis:

The New Orleans Saints have taken a hard PR hit and need to take immediate

action to remedy its relationship with the NFL, its fans, its community, and its

ownership. The Saint’s golden image has been tarnished by a few players and

coaches that may have made some poor decisions and these simple mistakes

will prove to be very difficult to overcome.

Strengths

- The legacy that the Saints has established over decades of service to its community.

- The fact that as soon as another team messes up the Saint’s situation will be old news.

- The team has had time to prepare because news of the investigation had leaked before it was made public.

Opportunities

- To show the resiliency of the organization by strongly overcoming this situation.

- To “clean-up” the organization by getting rid of the bad apples that may have brought about this issue.

- Become a front runner in player safety by activating the Saint’s Injured Player’s Fund.

Weaknesses

- The devastating power of negative publicity.

- The unknown evidence against the team.

- The volatile factor that is public opinion.

Threats

- Possibly losing the respect and loyalty of stakeholders.

- Intangible penalties that the team may encounter residually.

- Loss of ticket sales.

- Suspension of games won from previous seasons.

Section 2: SWOT Analysis

Section 3: Key Roles

• Crisis Manager: John Morrison

• News Media Liason: Joe Smith

• Social Media Monitor: Tiffany Stewart

• Internal Communication: Tyler Stewart

• Speech Writers: Jonathan Favreau/Dwight Davis

• Public Speakers: Sean Peyton and other team representatives

Section 4: Media Contacts

Media Channel Name Number

WSOC-TV Elaine Farias 704.365.4706

Charlotte Observer Joe Person 704.378.5153

NFL TV Bryant Gumble 545.329.8562

ESPN Mike and Mike 810.426.7953

National Enquirer Hardlie Trooth 265.328.9746

5.0: Target Audience

• NFL• NFL Players Association• Fans • Prospective players and coaches • Owners of the team

6.0: Goals of Communication

• To inform the general public and our fans of the allegations that have been

made against the team.

• To persuade our fans to have faith in the team and continue to support us.

• To motivate the fans to continue to come to games and support the team.

• To build a mutual understanding between the team, the NFL, and the fans

as to what the truth is, what will be done to rectify the issue, and what the

team’s plans are moving forward.

7.0: Traditional Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEMBERS OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS DEFENSE ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN A BOUNTY PROGRAM

New Orleans, LA, May 15, 2011 — Today, Commissioner Roger Goodell made our team aware of possible sanctions that may be handed down for the participation in a bounty program by several personnel from our defense.

The leaders of this organization had no knowledge of this alleged program and will conduct their own investigation to ensure that all the facts are brought to the surface. There are several players and coaches that have been accused of running the bounty program and the National Football League will have the Saints’ full cooperation in resolving this matter.

For more information, please contact Tristan Stewart, New Orleans Saints spokesman, at 1-800-920-1537.

It is the goal of the New Orleans Saints to create a model franchise and to impact our league and fans in a positive manner. WHO DAT!

7.1: Digital Media Press Release

MEMBERS OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS DEFENSE ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN A BOUNTY PROGRAM

New Orleans, LA, May 15, 2011 — Today, Commissioner Roger Goodell made our team aware of possible sanctions that may be handed down for the participation in a bounty program by several personnel from our defense.The leaders of this organization had no knowledge of this alleged program and will conduct their own investigation to ensure that all the facts are brought to the surface. There are several players and coaches that have been accused of running the bounty program and the National Football League will have the Saints’ full cooperation in resolving this matter. Click here to read the entire story   Click here to see what Coach Sean Peyton said about these allegations For more information, please contact Tristan Stewart, New Orleans Saints spokesman, at 1-800-920-1537.   It is the goal of the New Orleans Saints to create a model franchise and to impact our league and fans in a positive manner. WHO DAT!

7.2: Letter Sample and Response

Fan:

To whom it may concern,

I am deeply disturbed by the allegations of the New Orleans Saints running a bounty program to intentionally hurt fellow players. There are kids all over the world

that look up to the players of the NFL and should have better role models than this. I am the Athletic Director of a local league and I don’t want my players to

think that this behavior is acceptable. This type of program is not only unethical but is a gross display of unsportsmanlike conduct. I hope that the NFL or the team

or both take immediate action to dissolve any remnants of this program and lay heavy sanctions upon anyone involved.

Regards,

Joe Smith

Team:

Sir,

I want to begin by saying that, on behalf of the New Orleans Saints, we apologize to you and the fans of the Saints and the NFL for this embarrassing predicament

that a few players and coaches have put us in. In no way shape or form are the “bounty program” allegations an indication of the dedication that the Saints have

to ensuring player safety. The Saints as an organization had no prior knowledge that this alleged program was being operated in our locker rooms. The few that

have been accused of participating in the program would have been acting alone and without the support of the front office. Once all of the facts have surfaced

and all parties that were involved are proved to be guilty the team will support any punishments handed down by the NFL and will take any additional action on

the individuals that we find necessary. Once again, we apologize for any heartache that has occurred as a result of these allegations and look forward to the

upcoming season.

Sincerely,

Operations President a.k.a. some PR professional

8.0: Pitfalls to Avoid when addressing Hispanic Audience

Due to the growing number of Hispanic fans in the New Orleans area and around the United States the following should be considered:

Not selecting the best media channels to reach Hispanic audience.Research has shown that many Hispanics rely on local Hispanic radio stations and newspapers for news around the world. Efforts should be made to reach to this population through these channels.

Using words or phrases that translate differently in different dialects.A translator will contracted to identify words or phrases that have multiple meanings in different dialects. The translator will recommend the most basic language to use while avoiding words or phrases that may be offensive to some.

Failing to decipher between markets and regions.The difference between markets and regions will be clearly defined. Generally markets can spread across many regions, but regions are typically defined geographical areas.

Being blind to how our competition is addressing this public.Research will be conducted to identify what other teams are doing to appeal to the Hispanic population. While avoiding duplicating their efforts we will develop a standard of best practices to reach out to this sector.

……………………Days after initial news release about the bounty program, the Saints unleash……….

9.0: Player Assistance Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Saints announce a fund that will help players who suffer career-ending injuries start a new life.

New Orleans, LA, May 21, 2011 — Today, the New Orleans released preemptive details on Jump Start on a New Life, a program that will assist players that have suffered career-ending injuries in transitioning to a life outside of football. The program will off career coaches to ex-players and also provide scholarships to individuals who didn’t complete their college degree to go back to school. The Saints will be reaching out to all the teams of the NFL to contribute to and support this program. The Saints have stated that this is in no way an admission to the allegations of running a bounty program but instead a symbol of the dedication that the team has to player safety and the well-being of all.

For more information, please contact Tristan Stewart, New Orleans Saints spokesman, at 1-800-920-1537.

It is the goal of the New Orleans Saints to create a model franchise and to impact our league and fans in a positive manner. WHO DAT!

10.0: Statistics

• Before crisis fan approval rate was 95%.

• At time of news release about Bounty program fan approval rate dropped to 45%.

• Upon revelation of Jump Start on a New Life program fan approval rate immediately

jumped to 58%.

• Estimates show that as the 2012 season starts and the Saints continue to show their

dedication to player safety that the approval rate of our fans will continue to rise

approximately 5% every fiscal quarter, taking into consideration several factors

including the team’s success during the regular season.

Any questions?