1
Organizational Crisis Response Analysis
Alexis Hallum
School of Education, Liberty University
SMGT 310: Communication in Sport (B01)
Professor McNerney
February 19, 2024
2
Crises in sport can take many shapes and forms and involve issues such as player
eligibility, player arrest, player death, incidents on the field of play, and the firing of a coach
(Pedersen, Laucella, Kian & Geurin, 2020). These are usually unexpected situations that sport
organizations thoroughly plan for beforehand. Throughout the years, there have been multiple
crisis sports organizations, coaches, and athletes have experienced. Looking back to 2023,
DeAndre Williams, a Memphis athlete, was denied eligibility, Mikey Williams, a committed
Memphis athlete, was convicted of a felony in March, and a horrifying collapse of Damar
Hamlin, Buffalo Bills safety, took place in April.
DeAndre Williams was a first team All American basketball player. In November of
2023, Memphis athlete DeAndre Williams was denied an additional year by the NCAA.
“Williams' Tigers career ended with 1,153 points, 558 rebounds, 219 assists and 22 double-
doubles in 82 games played” (Stumbaugh, 2023). At first this player was denied in October
before the resubmitted claim from Memphis was denied. The team released a statement saying,
"We are extremely disappointed a waiver for an additional year of eligibility for DeAndre
Williams was denied, which came following a request for reconsideration of the initial denial
and then an appeal" (Stumbaugh, 2023). In the school year of 2018-2019, Williams did not play
due to academics. “Williams, who turned 27 in early October, initially signed with Evansville in
the class of 2018. He was ruled ineligible for his first season in 2018-19, then played in 18 games
in 2019-20 before transferring to Memphis” (Borzello, 2023). At first the NCAA counted that
year towards eligibility, but the school confessed the false information. “The school added that it
had provided the NCAA with "evidence of academic misadvisement prior to his initial collegiate
enrollment." Williams' lawyer had previously alleged his client was misadvised to push back his
first year of college to 2018, according to the Daily Memphian's Parth Upadhyaya” (Stumbaugh,
3
2023). Once confirmation was received regarding the denial, the sport organization released a
statement saying, "Unfortunately, after multiple months of back-and-forth, the NCAA arrived at
a different conclusion. We appreciate DeAndre's contributions to our men's basketball program
over the past two-and-a-half years, and he will always be a Memphis Tiger. Nevertheless, we are
very much looking forward to an exciting season on the court for our men's basketball team"
(Morgan, 2023).
All parties involved in this crisis handled it in an effective and appropriate manner based
on the timely updates, attitudes handling the issue, and the overall organization. The waiting time
period of the back and forth communications with the Memphis of University basketball
organization and the NCAA was the overall downfall of this crisis. It was supportive of the
school to submit an appeal to the NCAA once Williams’ initial claim was denied, bracing the
athlete returning for another year. Once the information was finalized, Hardaway announced it to
the public, expressing empathy, addressing the crisis situation, while following a futuristic
outlook for a great season with the team. To better prepare for a situation as such, educational
organizations and NCAA should better communicate and pay close attention analyzing athletes'
academics and playing eligibility considering this situation from the 2018-2019 school year was
brought to light in 2023. Although the University of Memphis basketball team was in hopes of
bringing DeAndre Williams back, they were prepared and open for recruits for their upcoming
season. Academic ineligibility is a common crisis experienced in high school and collegiate
sports, therefore there is more preparation and familiarity when dealing with them. While the
Memphis Tigers were facing this ineligibility concern, they also were battling handling another
crisis of a star upcoming freshman facing criminal charges.
4
Mikey Williams is an up and coming 19 year old basketball player. In the winter of 2022,
Williams committed to University of Memphis. In April of 2023, he was arrested and facing
many gun felony charges for shooting at trespassers at his assets back in March. With his
ongoing criminal investigation, Mikey Williams was unable to play for the Memphis basketball
team. During his enrollment at Memphis in 2023, he was also unable to participate in any team
related activities and facilities, despite being listed on the 2023 basketball roster. As conversation
arose prior to this incident, the University of Memphis head basketball coach, Penny Hardaway,
stated, “I can’t even speak on the case, out of respect for the ongoing process of what’s
happening,” said Hardaway. “I don’t know enough to speak on it. That’s all I have to say about
that. I don’t really have anything else to say about it” (Munz, 2023). Hardaway added, “I mean,
I’m gonna continue to recruit,” said Hardaway. “(But) as of right now, Mikey is still with us.
That’s how I have to keep it until otherwise. That’s why I say, I can’t really speak on the case.
Nothing has happened thus far” (Munz, 2023). Later throughout the school year, Williams
entered the transfer portal. His coach responded, "We can confirm Mikey Williams has chosen to
enter the transfer portal," Memphis said in a statement Monday. "The University process for him
to join the men's basketball program was underway, but Williams elected to explore his options
at this time" (Borzello, 2024). At a further time, Mikey Williams announced his commitment to
UCF in January of 2024. “Williams made the announcement on Instagram, with the caption: "All
I needed was a chance" (Borzello, 2024). According to Wilson, “Williams was ordered to
complete a gun safety course, attend anger management sessions and complete 80 hours of
community service. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 12 in San Diego County Superior Court,
where the charge would be reduced to a misdemeanor if Williams follows terms of the deal and
avoids any criminal offenses” (2024).
5
Mikey Williams has been a highly favored athlete for a while now. When he got arrested,
the news quickly spread. With him being committed to the University of Memphis at the time, it
was highly appropriate for the Memphis Tigers to address the situation. Coach Hardaway chose
not to speak on the situation when news first got out, which I believe was the most appropriate
route. Hardaway was respectful during the situation to both the athlete and sport organization.
Hardaway announced Williams' position being held on the team following the incident, and was
working towards his eligibility before he transferred to University of Central Florida. This
unfavorable scenario was handled in a good manner. For similar situations in the future, I would
recommend the coaches keeping their options open, but not voicing it to the public so soon. That
open ended statement put Mikey Williams in an open position as well, leaving many thoughts,
questions, and concerns to his fans and audience. I would also recommend the importance of gun
safety and the resources Williams has the options to utilize. It is important for viewers and fans
to not make assumptions for Mikey William’s situation, but for the sport organization to use it as
a time for educating others on the wrongdoings.
Damar Hamlin is a former Buffalo Bills NFL athlete. In the 2021 NFL draft, he was
selected in the sixth round by the Bills playing safety. “It was 8:55 on Monday night, with the
11-4 Bengals leading 7-3 and both teams vying for top conference seeding in the upcoming
playoffs. Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins caught a 13-yard pass in Bengals territory and ran
a few yards near midfield. Hamlin was waiting. Hamlin, arms out to make the tackle, wrapped
his arms around Higgins’ shoulders and neck and twisted Higgins to the ground with him.
Hamlin got up and appeared to adjust his face mask. He then fell backward. A referee whistled
for the clock to stop with 5:58 left in the quarter. Bills staff rushed to assist the motionless
player” (Close & Sanchez, 2023). According to the Bengals versus Bills game reporters, medics
6
arrived in under five minutes (Close & Sanchez, 2023). Hamlin’s incident aroused many
emotions from the athletes, coaches, fans, and other viewers and game day staff and reporters.
“The 24-year-old Hamlin was administered CPR on the field. Teammates surrounded Hamlin,
shielding him from public view. Many were weeping and praying while Hamlin was treated on
the field by team and independent medical personnel and local paramedics. He was taken by
ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center” (Maaddi, 2023). After a long delay, this
game was suspended. The following Tuesday, the Bills released a statement saying, “Damar
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat
was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and
treatment. “He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition”” (Close & Sanchez, 2023).
Damar Hamlin’s addresses during his first statement, “I think it was important for me to wait and
speak publicly at the right time as it was a lot to process within my own self mentally,
physically… even spiritually — it’s just been a lot to process. I can’t tell you how appreciative I
am of all the love, all the support and everything that’s just been coming in my way” (Tinoco,
2023).
Hamlin experiencing this tragic incident following his hit occurred live during the
Monday night football game caused much concern inside and outside of the sport entity. Tackles
are involved in the game of football, so for an athlete’s heart to stop after taking a hit was
completely unexpected. Coaches, staff, and medics all acted responsively to hit, giving him
immediate care before transporting him to the hospital. Teammates were able to handle
themselves in a respective manner while emotions were high. Some remained on the field,
kneeling and praying for Hamlin, while others removed themselves and went to the locker room.
The game was temporarily suspended, soon coming to a permanent decision. This was a great
7
call to make with everyone's concerns for Damar Hamlin. Some fans were dissatisfied with the
delay of the game suspension, but overall understood the reasoning and were able to receive a
full refund. I have no recommendations for how this NFL organization and others involved could
have handled this crisis any better.
Crisis in sports are always going to occur, which is why it is important to think of any
and all situations that could happen in the sport industry. Reviewing these crises, the team and
organizations are shown to handle their situations in the best way. Similar in all three crises,
were effective crisis communication, whether direct information was provided or not. Crisis
management is a key element in public relations, as crises will occur, completely unplanned, it is
the sport entity’s responsibility to think overboard in planning for these situations. Each sport
organization involved in these crises provided mature media relations addressing the situations
for public view. When crises in sport entities occur, it is best to look at it from the sport
organization, athlete, and fans perspective to better interact with the audience in the most
compelling way. “The manner in which an organization initially responds to a crisis often exerts
a dramatic effect on the public’s perception of the crisis” (Pedersen, Laucella, Kian & Geurin,
2020).
“The main objective of any crisis plan should be to quickly and accurately communicate
information that can minimize damage to the sport organization’s reputation” (Pedersen,
Laucella, Kian & Geurin, 2020) . Each crisis discussed above shows organized strategies to
properly manage the present and/or ongoing situations. Without proper crisis management in
sport, sport organizations may receive a bad input.
8
References
Borzello, J. (2024). Mikey Williams commits to UCF after Memphis Departure. ESPN.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39295492/mikey-williams-com
mits-ucf-memphis-departure
Borzello, J. (2023). NCAA denies Memphis’ DeAndre Williams extra year of eligibility. ESPN.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38810417/ncaa-denies-memphi
s-deandre-williams-extra-year-eligibility
Close, D., & Sanchez, R. (2023). A timeline of the NFL’s response after Damar
Hamlin collapsed. CNN.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/03/us/damar-hamlin-bills-nfl-response-timeline/
index.html
Maaddi, R. (2023). Explainer: What happened to damar hamlin?. AP News.
https://apnews.com/article/bills-damar-hamlin-collapse-what-happened-d73a76f2f7f736b
652e95896dfaa0900#
Morgan, J., & Fox News. (2023). Sixth year of eligibility for 27-year-old Memphis
Basketball Player denied. Fox News.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/sixth-year-eligibility-27-year-old-memphis-basketball-p
9
layer-denied
Munz, J. (2023). Memphis Basketball coach Penny Hardaway on Mikey Williams
arrest: “as of right now, Mikey is still with us.” The Commercial Appeal.
https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/college/memphis-tigers/2023/04/19/pen
ny-hardaway-on-mikey-williams-arrest-still-with-us/70123141007/
Pedersen, P. M., Laucella, P. C., Kian, E. M., & Geurin, A. N. (2020). Strategic Sport
Communication (3rd ed.). Human Kinetics Publishers.
https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781492594505
Stumbaugh, J. (2023). Memphis’ DeAndre Williams denied extra year of eligibility
at age 27 by NCAA. Bleacher Report.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10096014-memphis-deandre-williams-denied-extra-ye
ar-of-eligibility-at-age-27-by-ncaa
Tinoco, A. (2023). Damar Hamlin shares message “from the heart” in first
on-camera statement since health emergency. Deadline.
https://deadline.com/2023/01/damar-hamlin-shares-message-from-the-heart-first-on-
came
ra-statement-health-emergency-1235243493/
10
Wilson, B. (2024). Former Memphis recruit Mikey Williams commits to UCF 6 weeks after
plea deal in gun case. USA Today.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2024/01/13/former-memphis-recruit-mikey
-williams-commits-to-ucf-6-weeks-after-plea-deal-in-gun-case/72219083007/
