This morning we were going to write about the value of extremes in winning and losing in light of the Miami Dolphins recent losses, but the death of Sean Taylor of the Redskin.today and Joe Kennedy over the weekend makes the importanc.of the games we play seem a bit insignificant. We are not experts, bu.unfortunately have learned first hand how to, and what not to do, when dealing with tragedy, as this summer we had one of our most popular and charismatic athletes, a fighter named Jeremy Williams, take his own life. Obviously suicide, the unforeseen circumstances of Joe Kennedy's death and Sean Taylor's violent death are three extremes of the sam.tragedy, the death of a talented and popular young man, but there are some basic principles to usually work off of.
1- Speak with one voice at the appropriate time:2- Confer with the grief experts:3- Treat People As People:4- Overcommunicate internally:5- Work with the media not against them:6- Don’t rush:7- Ask For help:first hand storyNick Saban…not t.rehash, but it was interesting to see the juxaposed columns in the Birmingham News last week (Kevin Scarbinsky's column on Tuesday was a good one) about Saban's comments comparing football loses to Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 tragedy. There were a number of pieces, includin.Mark Blaudshaun in the Boston Globe, which derided Saban for his comments as well. The on.we felt which was most honest was on Thanksgiving in Birmingham, which didn’t defend Saban but understood what he said and meant. Again as a publicist, it is important to support and clarify. We think that wanting coaches and athletes to internally feel like their wor.is life and death important, but to say it publicly and then not either retract or work hard to right the issue is a tragedy in itself, and sends a bad message that perpetuates a stereotyp.. Nick Saban is a great coach and leader of men. He also showed poor judgement at a critical time and needs to take responsibility for that……?
