A Coach In Need Of Crisis PR

In the tenure of every coach of a major college sports team, or a coach and team that aspire to be one, there comes a turning point. Bob Diaco, the coach of the UConn football team, is at one now.

Some in the Connecticut media have implied that he’s unraveling. That’s not the case. He’s just on a losing streak – on the field and with reporters. This is nothing that a win or two and some PR help can’t cure. When that happens, his confidence will return, and he’ll look a lot less like a bull roaming the china shop, looking for a big pasture to sleep in.

In the meantime, here are a few media relations tips from a pro that UConn’s sports and communications departments should be giving him.

1. Make your press conferences shorter in length. Nobody ever said you had to answer a majority of questions. After all, you’re not the president taking inquiries about foreign policy in the White House briefing room.
2. Keep your responses to questions shorter. Don’t ramble; don’t come up with a new metaphor in every other sentence. This does not make you or the university look good.
3. Stick to talking points. These can be worked out in advance with your coaches and PR people. Trust me, as somebody who has written scores, they help.

The UConn football program has been going through some growing pains lately, desperate for wider recognition. A win or two, and better handling of the media, may actually save Diaco his job, while he behaves more like a coach who best represents the state’s flagship public university.

Update: Bob Diaco was fired a few weeks later as UConn football’s head coach.