POSTED: January 6th 2010
SpeakingUp
Michael Buckner: Sponsors should beware rushing to judgment on Tiger Woods
LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications
TAMPA: The Tiger Woods scandal has set off a bigger question than just the moral issue of the world’s top billionaire athlete of the decade with marital infidelity issues.
In the wake of his private life becoming one of the biggest stories of the last year now he is dealing with his multi-million dollar sponsors taking a swing at him and reneging endorsements. Tiger Woods makes a lot of money off these sponsors but they have also made a whole lot of money from him over the years.
The latest in the line is AT&T, joining Procter & Gamble which has said that it will phase Woods out of its Gillette ads. Gillette recently was running an ad with the dynamic trio of Woods, tennis icon Roger Federer and world class striker Thierry Henry. Henry fell under scrutiny recently for handling the ball in a World Cup playoff match where France beat Ireland in the qualifying play-off.
Accenture, a consulting firm, dropped Woods two weeks ago and Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton also have downsized their use of him in their ad campaigns.
However Florida sports lawyer Michael Buckner believes corporate decision-makers should beware the dangers of appearing hypocritical.
Buckner says: “I can’t condone Tiger Woods for what he did but that is between him and his wife and whatever God he worships.
“The choice Tiger allegedly made to use escorts or otherwise engage in extra-marital relationships is not an isolated incident - his behavior is mirrored by many powerful, wealthy and famous men, including professional athletes, celebrities and business executives.”
Buckner, a licensed attorney and private investigator, advises organizations on compliance, investigation, ethics, training, and management enhancement issues.
He has also written a book on the topic entitled The ABCs of Ethics: A Resource for Leaders, Managers, and Professionals and manages ethics workshops for organizations looking to refine their moral compass in the billion dollar business of sport.
Buckner also cites the example of Michelle Braun. The owner of a former Las Vegas VIP escort service appeared on Geraldo Rivera’s program Geraldo At Large to explain having Woods as a client and how the escort system works. Woods is estimated to have spent up to US$40k per weekend and Braun remarked that he did spend a number of weekends with them.
However, according to Buckner, sponsors need to refrain from over-hasty reactions. He says: “The ethical questions for Tiger’s (or any professional athlete’s) sponsors are: 1) whether their decision to accept or dismiss an endorser is consistent with the organization’s code of conduct; 2) whether the personal life of an endorser will be an ongoing concern for the organization—and how will the organization monitor endorsers’ behavior; 3) whether any of the organization’s executives are involved in similar activities; and 4) whether they are applying a higher standard to Tiger and a lower standard for their personal behavior.”
Did Michael Jordan find his sponsors dropping him when he became entangled in a divorce and infidelity lawsuit? Jordan is the only other athlete alive that can be classified on a level of greatness with Woods.
Jordan was entangled in a nasty expensive divorce, womanizing and gambling issues but Jordan is still “His Airness” and with time people move on.
For more info on Michael Buckner please see http://www.michaelbucknerlaw.com/Keywords · Tiger Woods · Michael Buckner · golf · PGA Tour
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Laura Walden ()
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