Baltimore Ravens Image Repair

Written by: Natalie Tollett with contributions by Kate Martinez and Parmida Schahhosseini

Abstract:

The Ravens have had a decent image since the Ray Lewis murder charge in 2000 without many high profile arrests. Crime was at a low point during the first six off-seasons under Head Coach John Harbaugh.

 

On February 15, 2014, Ray Rice was arrested for a physical altercation with his wife (then fiancé). This was shocking since he has been a proponent on anti-bullying platforms. He has spoken at many events and schools to raise awareness against acts of bullying. Ray Rice’s arrest was detrimental to the Raven’s image.

Our paper focuses on the strategies and tactics used by the Baltimore Ravens organization to repair its image and maintain its image as a community leader.

 

Introduction:

During the 2014 offseason, the Baltimore Ravens had 3 players arrested in a 22-day span after coming off its worse season in 6 years with an 8-8 record and missing the playoffs for the first time.

• Ray Rice was arrested for his altercation with then-fiancé.
• Wide Receiver Deonte Thompson was arrested on charge of marijuana and drug possession
• Wide Receiver Jah Reid was charged with misdemeanor battery

Ravens generally have a clean image so this presented a problem. They have had only 12 arrests from 2000-2009 since the Ray Lewis case. Ray Lewis remains the most talked about case and continues to add a negative stigma to the organization. After the murder allegation, Lewis cleaned his image, and, in turn, slowly helped the Ravens clean their image as well.

• Lewis was a playmaker, making him one of the best middle line-backers in the history of the NFL
• Lewis became a Christian and often references God and Bible verses in his speeches.
• He cleaned his image, and, in turn became a media favorite.
• Lewis announced his retirement in 2013 and his team rallied around him for one last victory- the Super Bowl.

Although Reid and Thompson’s arrests hurt the Raven image, Rice’s was the worst since he is a ‘bigger name’ and his arrest was worse: he was indicted on third-degree aggravated assault charge by a grand jury on March 24 and the next day married his fiancé- Palmer.

The image repair used for Ray Lewis’ case is similar to the damage control the Ravens use now. Incudes:

• All players have suspended social media accounts.
• Ray Rice shut down his Facebook, but kept his Twitter and Instagram accounts active. 

High profile athletes get into trouble often including household names like the O.J. Simpson case, the Jason Kidd assault and DWI, and Kobe Bryant’s rape charge. Since the Baltimore Ravens is an organization, this study will review NFL cases and focuses on strategies and tactics used to maintain its image.

Based on our research, there are gaps regarding social media for image repair. Many of the cases that we research happened prior to social media’s popularity, resulting in a lack of information regarding the role of social media in the judicial process. These arrests have taken place when social media is at its peak, so we will evaluate the Baltimore Ravens’ content strategy.

 

Literary Analysis:

Case Study No. 1: Jason Kidd

• Assaulted his wife (punched her in the mouth)
• Arrested four games, then voluntarily went into counseling
• Drafted an apology letter to Suns ticket holders
• Wasn’t punished by NBA, got traded to New Jersey Nets where he became a “star” player
• Had previous run-ins with the law
• Broke the law, admitted his mistake, completed his punishment and acknowledged that he has a problem
• His image wasn’t hurt

Case Study No. 2: Kobe Bryant 

• Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was accused of rape in July 2003
• Made an apology, but wasn’t read by him (lawyer read it) – received back lash
• Charges were dropped in 2004 after he apologized
• Play on the court improved, so people “forgot” about it

Case Study No. 3: Michael Vick

• Federal dog-fighting conviction in 2007
• When Vick pled guilty to federal charges, he issued an apology at a press conference
• Vick employed mortification, then corrective action, followed by more mortification
• Vick apologized to the various NFL personnel and to the young fans he had let down
• Vick sought Jesus’ help in turning his life around
• Vick reiterated his acceptance of full responsibility and stated his willingness to pay the consequences of his actions

Case Study No. 4: Terrell Owens

• Conflict with the Philadelphia Eagles (“public war with the organization”)
• Used mortification and bolstering strategies, he hurt his case by sidestepping the blame for the conflict
• Bolstering: Owens attempted to shed the image of a self-centered, difficult athlete by reminding his fans his productivity on the field, says his his actions are stemmed from his passion
• Mortification: Owens apologized directly to his fans, teammates, coach, quarterback, team president, and CEO (this was his second statement)
• Owens used vague language to avoid blame; he situated responsibility outside himself rather than acknowledging his fault
• No corrective action

Case Study No. 5: Michael Phelps

• A picture of Phelps allegedly smoking from a marijuana pipe appeared in a British tabloid
• Phelps firestorm started in the midst of Super Bowl Sunday
• Some dismissed the severity of Phelps’ scenario due to his age and marijuana use as a serious offense
• Phelps sent out apologetic statement the day photo appeared
• Phelps utilizes mortification by acknowledging that he “engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment”
• He also said he acted inappropriately
• Phelps utilized corrective action by promising that an incident like this will not happen again
• Brought up 2004 DUI incident with Baltimore Sun interview – since he didn’t “avoid” the issue, he became more favorable in the public eye
• Bolstering strategy when reacting to USA Swimming’s decision to suspend him – he said it was fair 

Research Questions:

1. What image repair tactics did the Ravens use?
2. How did Ray Rice and other players conduct themselves during this time? (Arrests, behavior, personal image repair attempts)
3. Were their tactics successful?
4. How did the fans and the general public react to the strategies and tactics?

 

Research Methods:

In order to gather information on Ray Rice’s situation and the Baltimore Ravens, we followed social media and other sources carefully:

• Followed Ravens’ Facebook pages and Twitter accounts
• NFL.com and people’s reactions in the comments section
• The Balitimore Sun
• Baltimore Ravens’ website
• ESPN and other sports websites to track audience reaction throughout time

We actively pursued real-time communication to see if and how people’s reactions had changed.

Paralleled findings in the media with literary scholarly articles and case studies found through extensive research.

All of the methods above led us to our conclusion about the Ravens and their players impact on public opinion. All of the players are attempting to stay out of the spotlight individually and are no longer active on social media. Rice shut down his Facebook account, but still has his Instagram and Twitter accounts despite not using them. The Ravens continue to build a positive image and try to steer away from any negativity. They realize that it will take time to rebuild a positive image by taking a careful and slow approach.

 

Findings and Discussion:

Ravens’ Image

• Ravens are focusing their attention to on-the-field issues by limiting off-the-field discussions with the exception of community work.

• Rice is also focusing on his on-the-field issues even though his off-the-field image will take time to repair.
  • Rice gained weight and wasn’t in the best shape last season.
  • He also had a hip injury that prevented him from playing well causing his agility and ability to cut through blocks to decrease dramatically.
  • He is dedicated to his work and got back into shape, even attending voluntary workouts.
  • Ravens’ release an article quoting Strength and Conditioning Coach Bob Rogicki: “He looks good right now. Whatever he did from the end of the season until now, he’s in a good position right now.”

• Ravens focusing on charity of other players:
• Wide receiver Torrey Smith’s charity basketball game
• Cornerback Ladarius Webb’s charity softball game, featuring an appearance by former free safety Ed Reed
• Other players have been active in the community, such as participating in community restoration efforts.
• Ravens are attempting to build a positive image through these events. Audience member and the general public have responded in a positive way toward the organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ray Rice’s Image:

• Responses to Ray Rice are mixed
  • Some people want to see how the legal process plays out before they judge
    • Since Rice is a big player, many are willing to stick by him and will continue to support his efforts.
    • His track record also warrants a second chance to these supportive audience members.
  • Others have a zero tolerance policy
    • These want him replaced because they believe there isn’t any room for violence, despite it being his first offense against the law.
    • These critics also say that the video evidence is enough to warrant their anger.
    • Many of these are parents with children who potentially look up to Rice putting them in a difficult situation since they have to explain his fault to their children.

The Ravens organization keeps its image in tact by:

• Strong and effective social media use
• A strong presence in the community
• Focusing on other players benefiting the community
• Adding viable weapon of offense: building up hype for the upcoming season

 

 

 

 

Conclusion:

The Baltimore Ravens realize that image repair is a slow process and it must be done cautiously. Rice continues to face backlash.

Social Media importance:

• Gives people a means to voice opinion and voice concerns
  • This hasn’t helped Rice’s case.
• Majority has a strong input on public opinion.
• People are more aware of the situation than before social media because of continuous access to the information.

Ravens image is continuing to repair its image due to the latest talent acquisition during free-agency and the charitable efforts of the organization.

According to the team’s social media account- people have forgiven the organization.

The blame is now shifted to the individual player.

Recurring trend in the NFL:

• Ability to repair off-the field image with strong play on the field.
• The image of being a “great player” has overshadowed any negative perception toward prior NFL players as long as they dominate at their respective position (and winning championships doesn’t hurt).