When a recent story portrayed Carson Wentz as selfish, a poor teammate and bullying toward his coaches, many fans wondered how the Eagles quarterback would react. While many teammates defended him on Twitter, Wentz stayed silent. And the furor died down – at least a bit.
It’s not easy to manage your reputation in a media environment that churns faster than a washing machine spin cycle. Ceisler Media Senior Director Kirk Dorn wrote a great blog when the story broke about what Wentz should do next.
At Ceisler Media, we always tell our clients to be honest and to own the situation. Where it can get tricky is the timing. Wentz and the Eagles handled this one brilliantly.
When a case like this happens to you, it’s hard not to be overly emotional and resist the urge to jump into the churn with your side of the story – especially when it’s personal. That didn’t happen here. Wentz and the Eagles maintained a dignified silence and conducted business as usual. Until the day after the Super Bowl.
Rather than kick up more dust, Wentz waited the story out. He waited two full weeks to go on the record with a detailed response. He waited for the season to officially end before putting out his side. And he did so only in print, smartly, to carefully continue to own the narrative and not have it lost in nuances of body language.
Wentz chose local and national outlets to speak to. And then he owned it. He owned the areas where he wants to be better; owned what he can’t change, and he did so authentically. He did so as a leader, and his maneuvers through this narrative were as effective as he is on the field shaking a pass rush.
Personally, I’m proud that Carson Wentz is the leader of our Philadelphia Eagles. And lest anyone forget, the title Super Bowl Champion Eagles doesn’t go away.
