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Saving face Handlers have increasing role in Earnhardt investigation
Updated: Thursday May 10, 2001 4:27 PM
By Mike Fish, CNNSI.com Two weeks after her husband's fatal crash at the Daytona 500, Teresa Earnhardt already had a team of lawyers in place to protect the family business. What she needed were professional handlers, folks to field the flood of media inquiries and to ensure the family name didn't take a PR hit. This is a new era in sports, particularly for the stock car crowd and the fans of Dale Earnhardt. Image and presentation count, as NASCAR has learned while absorbing body blows over its handling of its accident investigation. So, as Teresa prepared for a legal battle in Florida to prevent release of her husband's autopsy photos, a fight that continues, she retained the services of Burson-Marsteller -- one of the leading communications and consulting firms. "She was inundated by the media with requests, and the lawyers couldn't handle it," explained Peter Himler, a managing director at Burson-Marsteller in New York. "That is what we do. We sort of make it easier for her -- field requests, try to get answers and facilitate access. She wasn't equipped to handle it all. "She also wanted to make sure that her message and point of view was being heard. There was lot of speculation going on, a lot of allegations and misinformation that was being bantered about. She wanted to make sure that her voice was heard throughout all of that."
Though the words belonged to Mrs. Earnhardt, the media consultants were behind her compelling personal appeal to NASCAR fans, asking the masses to join her fight against the press being given access to photos of her husband's body. "We encourage you to let the Orlando Sentinel know how you feel about this unfortunate situation," Earnhardt's widow implored fans during a televised news conference. The response was more than 10,000 e-mails to the newspaper, virtually all opposed to its efforts -- even though the Sentinel never intended to publish the photos. In turn, the newspaper brought in its own public relations consultant to handle the swarm of media requests. Which begs the question, has NASCAR been moved to hire its own crisis-management consultants? The stock car racing sanctioning body has retained counsel in the past, and an official acknowledged "outside guidance" is available when issues come up. If they aren't taking advantage, most professionals say NASCAR brass is making a huge mistake. Even though the Earnhardts enjoy a strong bond with NASCAR, Himler denied that Burson-Marsteller is also discussing PR strategy with racing officials. It's been open season on NASCAR, as conspiracy theories and mistrust abound. Every day seems to bring a new twist, with the latest misstep the revelation that investigators failed until Thursday to interview the paramedic who freed Earnhardt from his seat belt. Ad sales and TV ratings continue to hum along, however, but everyone realizes it could hurt if the controversy lingers. The stream of negative stories, as you might expect, is also said to be affecting morale in NASCAR offices. "They've always been a little conservative about releasing information," said Ed Clark, general manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway. "I'm not saying that is bad. But it has caused them some problems, in that people think they're covering something instead of they're just covering their Ps and Qs. That's always been their nature and it's served them well in the past. "In my heart and soul, I can't believe they're trying to cover up anything or cast blame somewhere else. It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't change what has happened. And there's no question, they don't ever want to see that happen again." A sports marketing executive, however, said it's more that NASCAR "tried to manipulate the facts to come out in their favor.'' The only way out, he maintains, is to be pro-active and get the facts out as quickly as possible. Mrs. Earnhardt isn't complaining, though. And this week, Dale Jr. went public with his support of NASCAR, including its connection that his father's seat belt broke in the crash. "I know that Teresa and the family are very encouraged that NASCAR has embarked on what they're calling a very comprehensive investigation," Himler said. "In terms of what NASCAR is saying and doing, I don't think she'll comment on that. ... Frankly, they're not privy to all the details surrounding what they know and don't know." Asked if she concurs with the comments of Dale. Jr's, Himler said: "I sense, and she hasn't told me directly, that she is giving NASCAR the benefit of the doubt. And that they will do a good job. And that they will do a comprehensive job. And they will do an independent, objective job. She has no reason to believe that they won't." Mrs. Earnhardt has been consumed by a whirlwind of events since the Daytona crash, grieving the loss of her husband while tending to her young daughter, overseeing the family race business and finding time to be a part of the legal battle in Florida. "I guess being in the public eye all these years, she's fairly savvy with regard to the media," Himler said. "She is very smart. It was her idea to go to Tallahassee and be with [Florida governor] Jeb Bush when they signed the law." The widow has made it clear she'll go back and plead her case, if she has to. And the consulting firm is assured of remaining in the background until there's final resolution on the autopsy photo issue.
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