Clarity Rating: Scottie Scheffler
On the Hot Seat: Scottie Scheffler: #1 ranked golfer in the world, arrested before Friday’s round of golf at the 2024 PGA Championship.
Overview
On Friday, Scottie Scheffler was arrested in Louisville, Kentucky, near the Valhalla Golf Club, the venue of the 2024 PGA Championship. Scheffler was attempting to enter the golf club in a player-courtesy vehicle when he was stopped by a police officer who was directing traffic due to an unrelated pedestrian fatality nearby. According to reports, when the officer reached inside Scheffler's vehicle to open the door, Scheffler accelerated, causing injuries to the officer's wrist and knee. Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals. Scheffler was released on his own recognizance shortly after and managed to return to the course in time for his 10:08 a.m. tee time.
Scheffler’s Crisis Communications Outtakes
Lawyer’s Statement: Steve Romines
“In the early hours of the morning in advance of his tee time Scottie was going to the course to begin his pre round preparation. Due to the combination of event traffic and a traffic fatality in the area it was a very chaotic situation He was proceeding as directed by another traffic officer and driving a marked player’s vehicle with credentials visible. In the confusion, Scottie is alleged to have disregarded a different officer’s traffic signals resulting in these charges. Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that he did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed. He stopped immediately upon being directed to and never at any point assaulted any officer with his vehicle. We will litigate this matter as needed and he will be completely exonerated.”
PRO: The lawyer quickly jumped in to the news cycle and offered details from Scottie’s perspective that started to help show a second side to the arrest. I have bolded the most helpful aspects of his statement.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I'm hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.
Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”
PRO: In this statement, he’s accesible and engaging with the public. It has a calm tone even as he paints a picture of chaos. It’s easy to envision an environment where miscommuication could occur. He shows appropriate sympathy for the man killed. His statement is aligned to the lawyer’s statement and was released soon after the lawyer’s statement … helping to continue to offer his side of the incident.
Scottie’s Press Conference:
Here are outtakes aligned to the themes that help explain what happened, minimize the incident, and start the recovery process:
SETS THE SCENE: It's dark; it was raining, there's a lot of stuff going on. They had just had an accident. I didn't know what it happened at the time, other than there was an accident. I didn't know that it was fatal.
GRACIOUS: My sympathies go out to the family of Mr. Mills. I can’t imagine what they’re going through right now.
MATURITY: The officer that took me to the jail was very kind. He was great.
HE’S HUMAN:
We had a nice chat in the [police] car, that kind of helped calm me down.
In jail, he saw himself on TV, as ESPN was covering the ordeal.
HUMOR: I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell – that was a first for me.
DISTILL WITH CONFIDENCE: My situation will be handled. It was just a big misunderstanding.
How Did It Play?
Scottie Scheffler relayed what happened with a poise that belied what he endured. Hours before, Scheffler said he could not stop shaking. He was confused, worried, scared. He believed he might have been in shock. And yet Scheffler went out of his way to thank the men that arrested him for their service. This is one different cat.
Yet, it was Scheffler’s demeanor afterwards, eloquently attempting to downplay the situation without adding fuel to the flame, that was perhaps his best work of the day.
Scottie Scheffler may see charges dropped after arrest during PGA Championship
Clarity Rating Score for Scheffler Press Conferencet: 5
Scheffler and his team, so far, have handeled the unfortunate incident clearly, calmly, and with exactness. Scottie is accessible. He walks a fine line with confidence he did nothing wrong, while offering a first-hand account without pointing fingers at the police. He offers sympathies to the family who was killed.
Scottie and his team have exhibited excellent crisis communications and receive The EO Report’s top rating of 5.
The Clarity Rating measures effective communications on a scale of 1 to 5 using this criteria:
1: Blurry, Indistinct
2: Slightly Focused, Needs Adjustment
3: Moderately Focused, Fair Clarity
4: Well-Focused, High Clarity
5: Razor-Sharp Focus, Crystal Clear (Are we clear?)