University officials as well as members of the coaching staff were aware of Sandusky's transgressions for years. As more victims started coming forward, a huge cover-up was revealed, causing a public relations disaster for Penn State. The most tragic aspect would be that Sandusky's abusive behavior could have been curtailed if those in authority had acted ethically and pursued the proper legal action instead of looking the other way.
Penn State's lack of planning and poor response to media inquiries is a prime example of what not to do in public relations. How the scandal was handled made an undeniable tragedy that much worse.
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| Image by Parton |
Allegations of abuse by Sandusky lasted nearly 40 years. Essentially, since the early 1970s, Penn State knowingly employed a sexual predator. There are several causes for ethical concern involved. Sandusky, without question, was wrong. However, Penn State was at fault as well. In fact, their behavior and lack of action should be considered enabling.
From the initial statement by the university's president, the event was a public disaster. More time and emphasis was placed on defending the guilty than acknowledging the violated.
Sally Jenkins writes, "You want to know how a serial predator can molest boys in the school showers for 40 years without being caught? It helps when campus leaders habitually deny, duck, parse and distract because they are so determined to look away from the crime and protect their bubble of self-regard."
A big part of the problem with Penn State's response to the scandal involved not wanting to tarnish the legacy of Coach Joe Paterno, Sandusky's boss and one of the alleged people that knew of the horrible transgressions. The extent to which Paterno was involved hasn't been as actively pursued as the man passed away in 2012. "But this much is inarguable. A man who ways he was a victim of Jerry Sandusky was paid a settlement by Penn State. He said in a sworn deposition that he told Joe Paterno what happened in 1976."
Prior to his death, Joe Paterno claimed he was only informed about one incident involving abuse in 2001. He told university officials, but nothing happened. Chris Korman writes, "Sandusky kept abusing boys and remained free for a decade. The university has no credibility. None."
This is no concern for what Joe Paterno did, but rather for what he didn't do.
In a CNN report, it was alleged that Sandusky assaulted a 15-year-old boy in 1971. At the time of the abuse, the boy reported it to a Penn State official as well as Joe Paterno. After the CNN story, Penn State did acknowledge that a settlement was paid to this victim. However, as The Washington Post points out, "A settlement is not an admission of guilt." Sometimes settlements are agreed upon to stop drawing attention to the matter or to avoid costly, and time-consuming legal proceedings.
Penn State's response to the scandal also has implications for the use or non-use of social media in public relations. After the scandal broke, the Penn State Facebook account administrator was told to remove all photos of Sandusky. Soon afterward all posts to Facebook and Twitter were halted as well. Many people were posting to the pages, but Penn State was prohibited from posting anything about the scandal; they couldn't respond. Sometimes no response speaks louder than any post. I believe that was a PR misstep as it allows those outside of the university to form their own opinion of what Penn State believes. A proper, open-ended crisis management plan could have allowed immediate communication to follow. To this day, the social media at Penn State still hasn't quite recovered. The Facebook page for the football team is sporadically updated with mainly press release type content that doesn't engage followers much.
Currently, the scandal is still in the news, four years after Sandusky's incarceration in the form of a lawsuit between Penn State and an insurance company (Pennsylvania Manufacter's Association Insurance). The university has paid out $60 million to victims of Sandusky and is now attempting to get reimbursed. PMAI points out that there were allegations of abuse by Sandusky in 1976, 1987, and 1988. In their view, Penn State should have been able to determine that Sandusky was a liability which would remove the payment responsibility from PMAI. In this lawsuit, the judge based his decision on what he read in the sealed, sworn depositions of the victims. The victims did tell others including Paterno, other assistant coaches, and the athletic director. However, those people are not considered executive officers of the university, and therefore Penn State was still covered. These allegations are not surprising regarding the convicted Sandusky. Paterno, however, had previously claimed that he first learned of Sandusky's behaviors in 2001, not 1976 as the depositions suggest.
WHAT PENN STATE SHOULD HAVE DONE
No one can foresee every crisis. But everyone can make attempts to be prepared. Penn State was not prepared to handle a crisis of this nature even though they had advanced notice. Penn State knew that these issues would become public knowledge eventually when Sandusky was placed under investigation in 2009, two years before the story broke. According to the PRSA, "to accomplish the three goals of crisis management: End the crisis quickly, limit the damage and restore the reputation." Penn State accomplished none of these goals. Unfortunately, there was enough history with Sandusky's actions that a situation-specific crisis plan could have been developed, and that is part of the problem. If a known-threat exists, that threat should be removed, not hidden. Penn State instead waited until after Sandusky's arrest to decide how to handle the situation.
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"The right approach is to be honest and forthright. Communicate the facts quickly and don't hide. Assign a visible spokesperson. Silence and 'no comment' are the enemy." - David Meerman Scott
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Penn State should have acknowledged their mistakes, something that still hasn't really happened. It is much more ethical to admit errors, apologize, and focus on building a better relationship with the community than to sidestep and not address issues. The spokespeople from the initial time of crisis were all involved in the sports information department. Penn State's tragedy had little to do with sports. A trained PR professional could have been a benefit to their situation in the time of crisis. Penn State certainly should not have tried to distance Joe Paterno from the scandal. Their unwavering defense of Paterno and not wanting to damage his legacy or that of the school's football team is only one of their flaws. Unethical and, for that matter, illegal choices caused all of Penn's problems.
The "respect, credibility, and reputation" that Penn State once enjoyed will take years to earn back. In order for Penn State to fully recover, they must examine their internal structure and policies from the top down. An effort to be less insular and provincial must occur. That type of thinking limits creativity and can lead to mistakes. If everyone agrees about everything, true progress rarely happens. Penn State is also very much a place where promotion tends to come from within, incorporating few outside hires. A current employee that spoke anonymously says, "We avoid outside opinions and are used to circling the wagons."
The scandal itself has overshadow the true tragedy of this situation. Sandusky, Paterno, Penn State - they are not victims.
They were not assaulted.
They were not bullied into silence for years.
They were not ignored.
They were wrong.
All of them.
ADDITIONAL READINGS & VIEWINGS
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/11/11/sports/ncaafootball/sandusky.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/sports/penn-state-fails-a-public-relations-test-leading-off.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/sports/ncaafootball/why-is-penn-state-celebrating-joe-paterno.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/penn-state-should-own-its-role-in-the-sandusky-scandal/2016/05/10/41eea4ce-16b3-11e6-924d-838753295f9a_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/05/09/penn-state-payments-cover-sandusky-accusations-from-as-far-back-as-1971/?tid=a_inl
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--jerry-sandusky-delivers-one-final-hateful--haunting-response-to-his-victims.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-crime-sandusky-idUSBRE85F0LC20120624
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/05/penn-state-joe-paterno-jerry-sandusky-sexual-abuse-scandal
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3686825/Unsealed-court-documents-reveal-Penn-State-coach-Joe-Paterno-allegedly-knew-Jerry-Sandusky-abuse-1976.html
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142111804/penn-state-abuse-scandal-a-guide-and-timeline
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/05/jerry-sandusky-joe-paterno-1976-penn-state-scandal
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-meerman-scott/penn-state-poor-crisis-management_b_1620763.html
https://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/TheStrategist/Articles/view/9536/1042/Crisis_on_Campus_Self_inflicted_Wounds_Will_Slow_P#.V_fHyskSIWE
http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/Fineman_PR_names_Penn_States_poor_crisis_communica_10319.aspx
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/sports/ncaafootball/why-is-penn-state-celebrating-joe-paterno.html
http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/7/14/3159683/joe-paterno-halo-photo
