Time (again) to teach NFL Rookies how to appropriately use social media
(This post, written by Gail Sideman, originally appeared on The Football Educator website.) We see it seemingly at least once each week. An athlete or coach tweets something that they quickly delete but in the land of screen grabs, it gathers critical steam and editorialized retweets because of the post’s negativity, prejudice or controversial tone. […]
PGA golfer Steve Elkington knows how to tick off a lot of people
While I wish I would have been quicker to write about the exemplary presser NFL Draft prospect Michael Sam conducted at the NFL Combine during the weekend (it’s a must-watch for ALL athletes), it’s the negative that drives me to write before a Twitter violator hits “SEND” again. Multiple PGA Tour title winner Steve Elkington, […]
Wisconsin company’s endorsement deal with Seahawks’ Wilson is a PR dream
Sometimes public relations professionals work long hours to produce campaigns, craft precisely worded news releases, and hit “send” on messages at just the right moment for businesses. Other times their charismatic, performance driven and kind-hearted football-player endorser leads his team to the Super Bowl and their story tells itself … with thousands of media along […]
An open letter to Seahawks cornerback, Richard Sherman
Dear Richard — I was wrong. I experienced a knee-jerk reaction during your rant to FOX Sports’ Erin Andrews and all of us in TV Land, I retweeted something about a Stanford education not teaching you how to act intelligently. I watched you with a “WTF?” look on my face and to those in the […]
Colts owner fails the big game PR test
There are times when someone just shouldn’t speak. If tempted, zip it. Are you reading this, Jim Irsay? Irsay is a football team owner. He’s not a player, not a coach and not someone who in most circumstances, has to comment more than a public-relations appropriate, “We love(d) our players and we look forward to […]
Smart NFL players focus. On their finances.
By now, National Football League players are all snug in their roster spots and cashing their multi-zero checks every two weeks… Not so fast. Rookies and veterans alike are smart to keep their focus on the field with one eye and their brains on their bank and investment accounts. As countless stories have been documented, […]
You didn’t make the NFL cut and you’re ticked
No one can blame you. You’ve just spent the last six weeks working out in an NFL training camp trying to earn a coveted roster spot. You dreamt of playing pro football since you were a kid; there were hours of conditioning, missed family events and nights out with the guys because you were training. […]
Athletes in NFL training camps: keep comments classy
Athletes competing for NFL roster spots or higher positions on the team ladder face daunting challenges in training camp. The No. 1A task that ranks next to the top priority to stay healthy, is not to make headlines for the wrong reasons. The first thing that comes to mind in our salacious world is the […]
Stupid happens. Just ask Riley Cooper.
Make no mistake about it. Eagles receiver Riley Cooper was caught in a swamp of stupid when a video of him berating an African-American security guard at a concert surfaced last week. Like many, I wrestled with whether his comment was blatantly prejudice. He used the “n word,” an ugly, unseemly adjective that I wish […]
Football players at NFL Combine should look up to Donald Driver
The end of the NFL Combine is upon us, so being in Wisconsin, I’m looking back at how a former participant with lofty goals and dreams went about his business, was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft and experienced a career that many first-rounders never see. Earlier this month, Donald Driver officially […]