I am always fascinated by crises – how people get into them, and how they address them and try to move on.  I think a lot of us are.  So, I thought I would start a weekly (or so) post about an interesting one – whether it was handled well or poorly.  And get people’s feedback.  It won’t be just second guessing how other practitioners handle it.  I hope to find ones that are well-handled and interesting. Suggestions welcome.

Let’s start with Mike Vrabel. Suffice it to say it has not gone well.  Here is one of the most important rules of crisis communications: “Tell it all; tell it fast; tell it first.”  The fact that we are now on Day 21 of this saga proves how important that axiom is.  Though it is dying down – it has moved from the acute stage to the next phase.

Another crisis rule that I advise clients to follow – I think I coined it – is always consider how your statement lands if the reporter knows everything that you know.  Because you can expect that most of the facts will get out there eventually.  If Vrabel had followed that rule, he would not have issued his first, contemptuous and subsequently disastrous quote: “These photos show a completely innocent interaction, and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

That statement was the media equivalent of waving a red cape in front of a bull.  But worse than that, it was a mortal blow to Vrabel’s character.  Because it was demonstrated to be a lie.  It is worth acknowledging that most people lie about affairs – to protect the innocent and the guilty.

At its core, reputation is really about trustworthiness.  And for Vrabel, his trustworthiness is central.  A January 7 NYT Athletic article by Chad Graff said this about him: The other secret is, as one player described it, Vrabel’s ‘aggressive honesty.’ ‘He’s real transparent,’ Hawkins said. ‘You know exactly what’s going on, what the expectations are of the team, what they are of you.’

Two weeks after his denial to Page Six, Vrabel finally spoke to the media, and he had to do it twice.  He was faulted the first time for not alerting the media, thereby having a much smaller contingent of media who just happened to be present for a routine offseason session with players – no New York Post, no TMZ.  And the main criticism can be summed up in the MassLive headline “Mike Vrabel finally spoke about Russini scandal – and said almost nothing.”   As a result, he did nothing to really quell the frenzy.

Vrabel issued a statement and in the evening of April 23 he addressed the media, hours after Page Six posted photos of him kissing Russini in New York in 2020 and looking intimate at a casino in Nashville in 2024.  He announced that he would be stepping away for the third day of the draft to attend counseling with his family.

Suffice it to say he was forced into addressing the media, given that by then, the coverage and online discussion were looking like a reality TV show scandal.

How do we think he did? His comments were somewhere between whiny and defiant as he repeatedly referred to this as a “personal” and “private” matter. Like most people who find the media chasing them on this type of scandal, I am sure he is angry.  And protective of his family.  But he telegraphed that he believed that this is happening tohim, not because of his actions.  He is a public figure and should accept that public attention is as inevitable as if he were a pop star or an athlete.

He said the words “I accept accountability” but it sure didn’t feel like it. He spoke in code – – I have to do what is right for my family.  I have had a lot of uncomfortable conversations.  I have not operated as my best self. — not admitting to having an affair but making it clear that he was trying to save his marriage.  None of it felt frank or genuine.  It felt forced, reluctant and self-protective.

Imagine if instead he had come out three weeks ago and said “Look folks, I had an inappropriate relationship and I am ashamed of it.  I have hurt my wife and family and am going to do everything I can to focus on that.  And to not be a distraction for the team, particularly during the draft.  I won’t get into a lot of details – those I think I owe my wife and nobody else.  But I need to own my behavior and vow to make amends.”  That version of Mike Vrabel feels authentic and could work his way back from here.

Post by Justine Griffin, Principal