What Were They Thinking?: Crisis Communication: The Good, the Bad, and the Totally Clueless

The Death of Pat Tillman: The Cover-up Is Always Worse

One would think after more than thirty years since Richard “I am not a crook” Nixon left office in disgrace in the wake of Watergate that professionals, particularly those serving in highlevel positions, would do all they could to avoid obvious “Nixonian” communication mistakes, especially relating to attempted cover-ups. In fact, after Watergate it became a common adage in the world of crisis communication that “the cover-up is always worse than the crime.” Yet, because government officials often ignore the lessons that should be learned from cover-up fiascos, the long and often embarrassing history of “truth manipulation” continues.We have recently seen the irresponsible attempts to suppress the truth in high-profile cases like the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, the NSA wire tapping case, theWalter Reed military hospital debacle, and the Jessica Lynch prisoner of war rescue “story.” But one of the most egregious and outrageous schemes to mislead the American public came in the immediate aftermath of the April 22, 2004, death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan. The Death of Pat Tillman THE COVER-UP IS ALWAYS WORSE 79 Officials in the U.S. Army, the Pentagon, and the Bush White House thought that they could cover up tragic news by lying to the public with a “positive” version of events that seemed more palatable but was an outright lie. What were they thinking?. No matter how bad the embarrassing incident may be, an attempted cover-up is going to be perceived as being worse than the “crime.” The Lesson. Adubato_final_book 5/20/08 4:31 PM Page 79 Officials in the U.S. Army and the Pentagon as well as in the BushWhite House engaged in one of the most insensitive, bumbling , and worst of all, unnecessary cover-ups in American history . The Pat Tillman affair demonstrates a self-induced crisis created out of efforts to lie, distort, and avoid responsibility for a tragic accident. Pat Tillman—A True American Hero Pat Tillman was a twenty-seven-year-old athlete playing in the National Football League who had signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He was smart, articulate, and telegenic. He volunteered to be an Army Ranger and go to Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks on our country. Despite his football celebrity and the big-money deal he had signed, Tillman, along with his brother Kevin, felt it was more important to fight Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda on their home turf. Pat Tillman’s actions were patriotic and brave on many levels , especially since he never sought publicity or praise for his unconventional and courageous decision to leave a lucrative NFL career behind and opt for a dangerous, unpredictable future fighting the enemy in a foreign land. While there was a modest amount of media attention given toTillman at the time of his brave decision, he suddenly became a household name and symbol of sacrifice and heroism within hours of his tragic death on April 22, 2004, in Afghanistan.The shooting took place at 7:30 P.M. local time in the small Afghanistan village of Sterah. The first official accounts of his shooting that came from the U.S. Central Command said that Tillman was likely killed by “devastating enemy fire.” More specifically, the official military statement read: “The enemy action was immediately responded to by the coalition patrol with direct fire and a fire fight ensued. During the engagement, one coalition soldier (Pat Tillman) was killed and two 80 WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? Adubato_final_book 5/20/08 4:31 PM Page 80 wounded.” The statement went on to say that “an Afghan military force soldier was also killed but that the enemy broke contact during the engagement.” The Pentagon’s official story was thatTillman was killed by enemy fire as he exited his vehicle and later died in an Army field hospital.1 The response to Pat Tillman ’s death at the hands of the enemy in Afghanistan was swift and emotional. He was called heroic by many and the Bush White House offered its condolences to the family, calling Tillman “an inspiration both on and off the football field.”2 Arizona Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwell, son of team owner Bill Bidwell, spoke for many in the NFL and beyond when he said, “In sports we have a tendency to...