Sports Speech Gone Wrong

Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl spoke at a charity function last Thursday and made an unfortunate off the cuff joke (see video above). Pearl’s comments were recorded and broadcast soon after the event.

Any public figure, especially sports figures, should recognize by now that anything you say is likely being recorded by someone. If you slip up, chances are it will be on the internet. Unfortunately for Pearl, ESPN quickly picked up the story.

Professional athletes and coaches make many public appearances – as well they should. They not only do they need to create positive PR for their career and their team, but their fame and name recognition can put a spotlight on many charitable causes by speaking at an event. However, when a speech is not well-prepared and is unprofessional, the coach or player can make themselves look bad, along with their team, their town/state, and even overshadow the charitable event. In Pearl’s case, he hit a whammy by accomplishing all three.

Thankfully Pearl quickly came out with a sincere apology and is mitigating the bad PR from the event. What do you bet the apology is a well-crafted and rehearsed message? It’s a shame that the speech itself wasn’t as equally well-crafted and rehearsed. He might not have gotten into this situation in the first place.