Incognito vs. Martin

Over the last couple of weeks the story that has dominated the whole ESPN family of networks, has been the alleged bullying scandal of Johnathon Martin by teammate Richie Incognito. After the first week of information was released I would have assumed that it would have been impossible for a player in Incognito's position to ever save his reputation and career in the NFL. However, after seeing the interview on FOX today, which was Incognito's  first chance to give his side, I think he may have a chance.

I don't know if I have ever heard a voice mail that was as racist or down right disrespectful then the one that Incognito left on Johnathon Martin's phone. The use of the N-word and death threats are just some of the issues with that one way conversation. Also, Incognito has not exactly been a poster child for the NFL in his past. He was even voted dirtiest player in the league by his NFL peers. Taking all this into account it is easy to see how Incognito would be a perfect person to be thrown under the bus in a situation where Martin could not handle the culture in the locker room, but after today's interview he may have taken the first step in proving his innocence.

The interviewer did not hold back and asked many tough question. Incognito, who is obviously under a lot of pressure, answered every question carefully and even gave hard evidence to back up his comments. One example of this evidence is actual text conversation's between he and Martin since the controversy began. Those text messages proved that Incognito and Martin were actually good friend which some of the early reports stated. By giving hard evidence Incognito used the truth and actual words from both side of the controversy to start to change his reputation with the public.

To continue this reputation change Incognito must apologize for some of the actions that have been reported and make sure the public knows he understands his mistakes and is willing to make changes. He could possibly escape this crazy controversy with is reputation with the media and the fans still intact, if he continues to answer questions carefully and speak the truth.

Jim Irsay's Bonehead Comments

There has not been a game all year as hyped as the homecoming of Peyton Manning to face his former team the Indianapolis Colts. Manning was released by the Colts after a serious neck injury left his health and future playing career up in the air. The Manning-less Colts had an abysmal year, which gave them the first pick in the following years draft, with which they decided to take the best quarterback prospect since Manning, Andrew Luck.

Since this emotional split Manning has been nothing short of a amazing, setting records early in the 2013 season. He also has his Broncos at a fantastic 6-0 and on top of the NFL world. So why would anyone ever want to make comments that take shots at his ability or playing career.

Jim Irsay, Colts owner and Peyton's former boss decided to take a shot. On twitter, Irsay decided to downplay Manning's accomplishments and even said his one Superbowl with the team was not enough for the money they were paying him. This is a mistake for two large reasons. The first, is that no front office executive in the NFL should ever make comments that may be considered "taking shots" at a player. This is a show of insecurity and need for attention. No one cares what owners have to say unless they say something that makes themselves look bad. This league is about the players and any "fight" between a player and front office member will always be looked at as the loser. The other reason this was a dumb decision, is Peyton Manning is the unofficial "Golden Boy" of the league. Manning is the best player, best interviewer, and overall best everything on and off the field. Manning has always carried himself in a positive way and anyone who decides to sling mud in his direction is not making a smart decision. 

So what can Irsay do to save face? Well it will not be easy to come back from this, but the first thing he must do, which he has no control over, is get a win in Sunday's game. This will at least take some of the heat off of him. Also, he needs Luck to continue to improve, even make a deep run in the playoffs this will make fans forget about Manning, at least momentarily, and in turn forget about Irsay's comments.

Another thing Irsay can do is give an apology for his comments and then disappear. As an owner, he should not be in the news, and after his apology he needs to shut his mouth and step out of the media's eye. It will take awhile, but eventually it will blow over. However, what I fear is, that like most owners with egos the size of the stadium the reside in, is that he will find it impossible to disappear.

Josh Freeman's Crazy Season

     The Josh Freeman saga did not last long, but while in progress this saga was a roller coaster ride that the media thrived on. As usual, the controversial situation stemmed from the quarterback of a struggling team, because as everyone knows when a team is winning everything off the field does not matter. Freeman led the Buccaneers to an abysmal 0 and 3 start and  he was fighting for his job. After his coach brought him into his office and explained that the team was going to bench Freeman all hell broke loose.

     Freeman then made the worst move possible and voiced his frustration to the media in a hour long interview air on ESPN. In this interview Freeman describe the lack of skill that his back up (and now Bucs starting QB) had and how he did not give his team the best chance to win. Then one week later news was leaked that Freeman was involved in the National Football Leagues drug abuse program. Normally this is supposed to be confidential information and we may never know how the information was leaked, but it sure did not help Freeman's reputation from the media.

     So how can Freeman save face when it comes to his shredded reputation? Freeman has already taken the biggest step in the process; leaving the situation. He requested his immediate release from the team, which he was later granted. Freeman left the Buccaneers and signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings soon after. So what can he do in his new situation to help himself. The first and most important job he has is to SHUT THE HELL UP. The only reason Freeman is in this situation is his mouth. Obviously every player feels they should be the starter, but few are stupid enough to tell the media of the locker room troubles that it is causing. The media will use that information to destroy you and possibly your career. Also, he must not allow his role on the team to effect his demeanor. He is now in a three way battle for the Viking's QB spot. If for some reason he does not earn the job, he must not show his frustration, but rather show that he is working harder.

     As far as the drug abuse program information being leaked; this is just a case of bad luck. The media should never have had access to this information. However, this just means that Freeman just has to show that he is doing everything in his ability to fix his issues. Then Josh can worry about accomplishing the ultimate cure for off the field issues, which is winning. When you win, the fans and media don't care if your a priest or a criminal, all they care is that you are good at your job.

My first two blogs gave advice to athletes whom needed help with their reputation. This post will be different; this post will break down how Jason Kidd has built his over a great career.

Jason Kidd is normally seen as one of the most professional men in the National Basketball Association. He is so highly regarded that he was hired as a head coach of a flourishing team as soon as he announced his intent to retire. However, he has come into a little bit of controversy this off season.  Kidd was pulled over and issued a driving while under the influence citation. This came as a huge surprise to the league and the fans. Though this was big news, the stay did not linger like the story of Aldon Smith in last week's blog. So why the double standard in the media?

Jason Kidd has continuously built his reputation over his long career in the National Basketball Association by doing many little, and most times, unnoticed things. First, is his relationship with the League's referees. Most times the relationship between a referee and players will go unseen, however, sub-consciously, fans take not of players that whine or exaggerate on play calls that didn't go their teams way. Every time something went wrong on the court or some close call didn't go there way, Kidd was always seen calming and leading his team in a way that could only be described as acting as professional as possible while playing a game. This way of going about your business on the court is something that stays in the minds of both the fans and the media.

Another, and possibly the best way to get the media on your side is simply to talk to them anytime they ask. Any media member has the job of reporting the game and player reactions, and if you can make their job easier they will return the favor in the future with stories about the good things rather than the bad things happening in an athletes life. Kidd always made time for media members after games and when the fans needed a players perspective on certain topics. This relationship with the media makes it harder for them to turn their back on a source that has always been good to them.

Between the way Kidd presented himself on and off the court and the way he treated the media has allowed for this large mistake to be almost brushed under the rug. A DWI is a serious offense, but J Kidd seemed to squeak through this mess virtually unscathed, similar to the way he would do his work on the court. Every athlete should look at this situation and take a page out of Kidd's well-written book.

Aldon Smith in trouble .......AGAIN!!!!

     Aldon Smith was pulled over last Thursday while driving his car recklessly through the streets of San Francisco. The cop then had Smith complete a field sobriety test, which Smith failed miserably. Then to add to the situation the cop had the car searched and possession of marijuana was added to Smith's list of criminal offenses. As if this wasn't bad enough, the time of the traffic stop was at 7:00 a.m. on the morning of a 49ers practice. The time of the stop alone should've been enough to suspend Smith immediately, however not only did Aldon attend practice that day, but he STARTED the game on Sunday, This decision by the team not to suspend their star  defensive end created an extreme double standard with the media. Months before the 49ers suspended a player for half the season for marijuana possession the day the news broke, but he was only a second string linemen who most likely would never see the field. This brought big concerns from the league and the media. So what can Aldon Smith and the Niners do to begin saving face

     First Aldon has the biggest step, he must come out to the media and admit his mistakes and also admit that he may have a problem. This being his second offense is huge considering the league commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, never takes second time offenders lightly. However, if Smith does not come out, apologize and explain what he is doing to help the situation he will be hit with much bigger consequences from the league office; Goodell has been known to be harsher on those who do not give a sincere apology.
   
     Smith has already taken a step towards turning his reputation around by, reportedly, attending drug abuse counseling. This is a big step, whether its helping or not, because it shows he is attempting to better himself. If he continues on this path he may not only be able to return faster to the league, but also return with a better understanding of his action and how to carry himself and his stardom.

     The 49ers on the other hand really screwed up by not taking affirmative action the second they found out he was stopped at 7 a.m. on the morning of a practice. By allowing him to play, and creating the double standard that they did, the league will  feel the need to step in on any other violations in the Niners future. Also, the media has been badgering the 49ers front office with questions of fairness and equality among players.

     The front office did rectify the situation some what when they came out with a report of suspending Aldon Smith "indefinitely." Plus, the organization even forced Aldon's locker to be cleaned and his face plate removed. This show of harsh punishment, though late, was the only option the 49ers franchise had after the stupid mistake of allowing him to start Sunday's game. This is a step in the right direction for a team that badly need to save face, as far as punishment goes.

     After the league comes down on Aldon Smith with their final punishment for his infractions, we may not be seeing Mr. Smith for a long, long time. This gives Aldon plenty of time to better himself and his reputation off the field.

Johnny Football and his Problems

Johnny Manziel has had his fair share of problems this summer, many of which have hurt his image with the media and fans. Whether it be his late night escapades drinking beer and eating skittles, or his autograph scandal, which yielded him a half game suspension in the first game of the year.  This suspension was Manziel’s only punishment because he really hasn’t broken any rules according to the NCAA or at least that they can prove. However, I do use the term punishment lightly, because a half game suspension in the first game of a major college football team’s schedule is equitable to getting a warning from a speeding violation.

So, how can Manziel improve this bad boy image with the media and fans? Well he has already improved his reputation the best way possible in a sports controversial situation, winning. By crushing the first two teams on the schedule, and putting up gaudy stats in the process, Manziel has shifted the focus of the general public from his off the field behavior to his on the field brilliance. Any player will improve his or her image if they produce on the field of play. Also, the biggest game of week three and possibly of the year put him in great position to improve the public opinion of him.

 Texas A&M played unbeaten and defending champion Alabama. Johnny Manziel used this game to the best he could in two ways. The first is the obvious on the field play, which exemplified all of Johnny’s great talent. However this was not the only thing that gave him points with the media. His off the field leaderships on the bench during the fourth quarter when A&M was mounting there comeback was impeccable. Most of the time when the camera flashed to the sidelines Johnny was either pumping up his offense or congratulating the defense on their tough play. This show of leadership was even mentioned by the commentators calling the game. It is shows of maturity like this that will propel Manziel back into the public’s good graces.

Introductory Post

Every sports fan of any kind knows that collegiate and professional sports is a hot bed for controversy. This blog will break down those controversy asses the public relations side of those controversies. Every sport has its problem children and this blog will give those players options for improving their reputation in the public eye. Next week's post will be breaking down the ever popular "Johnny Football" saga and how he could better his standing publicly.