Cowboys’ coach shows how evading journalists’ questions can damage credibility
The team recently fired a wide receiver after he was arrested for shoplifting, but didn’t reverse its decision when authorities cleared the player’s name. Reporters’ questions were dodged.
Sometimes, you have to do more than stand by your PR statement.
Last week, news reports revealed that Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Lucky Whitehead had been arrested for shoplifting $25 from a Virginia convenience store. Wasting no time, the Cowboys cut Whitehead from the team later that day.
There was only one problem: He didn’t do it.
Virginia police admitted the next day that this was a case of mistaken identity. Whitehead not only didn’t commit the crime, but he hadn’t even been in the state when the crime allegedly occurred.
Under those circumstances, you might think the Cowboys would apologize and welcome him back onto the team—but that’s not what happened. Instead, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett defended the team’s decision to cut Whitehead during a press conference by repeating the same evasive statement 10 times.
Garrett’s non-answers added more confusion than clarity, and did nothing to shed light on the team’s seemingly capricious decision.
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