You are the PR Director for UVU. A Member of the UVU "Football" team has been in an automobile accident that has left two people dead. The team member survived the accident but toxicology reports indicate the player had illegal steroids in their system, as well as some alcohol, but it was not over the legal limit. Later you learn that there are more than a dozen other players using the same illegal steroids, something they blame on the coaching staff, saying that they were pressured to play better and that this substance would help them do this. A member of the local press has gotten wind of this and has just called you to ask if you would like to make a comment before they go to press with the story. You know that there is the potential that if financial donors learn about this they could pull their funding, something that is greatly needed for such a new football program, especially for the new football stadium that the university is raising funds to build.

What is a Crisis Communication Plan that will help manage the situation above, including a response to the press? Your plan should include the following.

1) Establish among everyone in the organization that it will put first the interest of the people concerned.

2) Make it clear that the organization will be as open as possible about what happened as the facts and conditions permit.

3) Give priority to resolving the emergency and protecting the people affected.

4) Emphasize that the organization will be fair to all, including critics or opponents who may have instigated the problem.