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April 12, 2006
Duke Lacrosse Group Hires Clinton Attorney for Crisis PR and Reputation Management?
PHOTO: Bob Bennett - PR Spokesman?
“It is unfortunate that members of the Duke community, players and families are being judged before all the facts are in," Bennett said in a statement. "A lot of innocent young people and the families are being hurt, and unfortunately this situation is being abused by people with separate agendas. It is grossly unfair, and cool heads must prevail.”
Comments from former Clinton attorney Robert Bennett, recently hired as a PR spokesman for the Committee for Fairness to Duke Families, a group paid for by supporters and family members of the Duke lacrosse team.
As reported by the Associated Press, a small group of boosters and others close to the Duke University lacrosse team have hired President Clinton's former lawyer as part of an aggressive public relations effort to argue that the players did not rape a woman at an off-campus party.
Bob Bennett, a former federal prosecutor and Washington attorney who represented Clinton in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, is serving as a spokesman for a group calling itself the Committee for Fairness to Duke Families.
He is not expected to represent any players, but he has joined the chorus of those who fear for the reputation of the team and the university.
"It is unfortunate that members of the Duke community, players and families are being judged before all the facts are in," Bennett said in a statement. "A lot of innocent young people and the families are being hurt, and unfortunately this situation is being abused by people with separate agendas. It is grossly unfair, and cool heads must prevail."
The group has asked to meet with Duke President Richard Brodhead. Neither Brodhead nor Bennett returned calls for comment.
No charges have been filed while District Attorney Mike Nifong presses on with his investigation of allegations that a stripper was gang-raped at a team party March 13. Earlier this week, lawyers for the players said that DNA tests failed to connect any members of the 47-man team to the alleged attack.
The players' parents -- initially silent -- have also started to speak out. Brian Loftus, who has two sons on the team, wondered Wednesday why Nifong was continuing with the case.
"I don't understand it," said Loftus, of Syosset, N.Y.
As he has for days, Nifong refused a request for an interview. He is running for another term in May and took part in a candidate forum Wednesday evening, where he reiterated he believes a crime occured based on a medical exam of the alleged victim.
"The fact is, I didn't pick the crime. I didn't pick the time," Nifong said at the forum. "But I'm going to do the case right, because you deserve that."
PHOTO: Duke Lacrosse in Crisis
Meanwhile, attorney Bill Thomas, who is representing one of the team's captains, said Wednesday he is positive that Nifong plans to present the case to a grand jury that is meeting Monday.
"We are convinced one or more of these young men is going to be charged," Thomas told WTVD-TV in Durham.
The family of Devon Sherwood, a freshman goalie and the team's only black member, said the DNA results should have ended the investigation of the highly ranked team. The Blue Devils played for last year's national title and were considered a favorite this season before Duke canceled the season.
"I'm just glad that that ordeal is over with and hopefully as we progress with the case, it will show that all of the players will be exonerated ... of any wrongdoing at all," said Sherwood's father, Chuck, of Freeport, N.Y.
Sherwood was not tested because he is black, and the alleged victim, a black woman, had said her attackers were white.
PHOTO: Reputations: Built Over a Lifetime, but Gone in Seconds
Concern about how Duke -- an expensive, private school with tough admissions standards -- has been portrayed during the investigation isn't limited to those with close ties to the lacrosse team.
At a campus vigil Wednesday, the dean of Duke Chapel, the Rev. Sam Wells, said the event -- which included readings from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Jewish texts -- represented "the diversity of Duke."
"A lot of time, in the last few weeks, Duke has been portrayed as one thing: rich, white, male," Wells said. "You won't see that today."
Adam Schlossmann, a Duke junior from Pittsburgh who passed by as the event was ending, said descriptions of Duke as a racist and sexist institution aren't close to the truth. "'The university has a culture of rape' -- that is just ridiculous," he said of one report. But he's leery of the decision to hire Bennett and start an active campaign to defend Duke's image.
"No matter who you put on to defend Duke, the fact is (the lacrosse players) are being portrayed as a microcosm of what Duke is," he said.
But his friend David Bartz, a Duke senior from Winston-Salem, said just sitting back and not saying anything isn't any better.
"You should have some way to counter," he said, "to offer another portrayal of the school."
A few reputation management tips from the Reputation Doctor for Bob Bennett:
• The court of law is not the court of public opinion.
Bob Bennett's comments already show he is not an expert in the court of public opinion. He needs to learn in the court of public opinion verdicts come in every day from the public and the media. The law does not lead in this court.
• Crisis PR and and reputation management are professions equal to the legal profession, but not the same.
Attorneys believe they should take the lead in all communication situations. However, they are not trained to communicate before the media and don't realize their reputations and the reputations of their clients can be severely damaged without proper training in the court of public opinion. Seasoned crisis PR and reputation management consultants make as much or more than top attorneys for a reason: they are very good at what they do and their expertise is worth the investment.
• Resign as a PR spokesman before it is too late. Stick to law.
Reputations take a life time to build, but can be lost in seconds with inexperienced counsel in the court of public opinion. Because you have chatted with the media with big legal cases in the past from a legal perspective does not qualify you as a PR spokesman. It makes as much sense as a PR counselor defending a client in the court of law or an attorney actually trying to perform surgery on a patient because they saw ER a few times on T.V.
Remember, do the right thing when your reputation is in crisis and seek the counsel of an experienced reputation management expert. It will be a major challenge, but ultimately the rewards of repairing your reputation will be great. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything! ™
About Mike Paul
Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding leaders, celebrities, corporations and other organizations with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.
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