Hit After Hit: Examining the Image Repair Strategies of Johnny Manziel
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Running head: HIT AFTER HIT 1 Hit after Hit: Examining the Image Repair Strategies of Johnny Manziel Presented to the Faculty of Liberty University School of Communication and Creative Arts In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts In Strategic Communications by Lisa L. DeRuiter May 2016 HIT AFTER HIT 2 Copyright © 2016 Lisa L. DeRuiter All Rights Reserved HIT AFTER HIT 3 Acknowledgements First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to Dr. Kristen Hark, my thesis chair. Since last spring when I came to you panicking about choosing a topic, you have been a calming presence and source of support, which is what I needed most of all. Thank you for putting up with my late-night emails and random working habits. I also want to express my gratitude to Dr. Carey Martin who was gracious enough to serve as my reader. Dr. Martin you were integral to helping me get this project off the ground last spring, answering my countless questions and pointing me in the right direction in our research class. Both of you have been excellent to work with, and I am thankful to have had such an outstanding thesis committee! I cannot say a big enough thank you to my parents, Pam and Jim DeRuiter. Dad, your random encouragement texts and loving support, and mom, your willingness to help me proofread such a massive document as well as your constant shoulder to lean on and willingness to listen whenever I was getting overwhelmed were exactly what I needed. I could not have done this without you. I am incredibly blessed to have two such amazing parents. I also want to thank Dr. Neil Frank, my granddad, for sending news articles and really taking such an interest in my thesis. You and grandmother have always played such an active part in each of your grandchildren’s lives, and for that I am truly grateful! To the countless others who played a part in helping me complete this huge project, I want to extend a sincere thank you! HIT AFTER HIT 4 Abstract Over the past decades, the landscape of sports journalism has changed to where now, athletes are often in the news just as frequently for their positive on-the-field play as they are for their negative off-the-field issues. Following these issues, the athletes must find strategies to employ to fix their damaged reputations. This thesis includes a rhetorical analysis of the image repair strategies employed by Johnny Manziel after each of his countless reputation-damaging incidents. The paper examines each of Manziel’s problems in depth, gives an overview of his biography, and includes a thorough review of literature regarding Benoit’s Image Repair Theory and its application to sports. It then examines more than thirty of Manziel’s press conferences, interviews, official statements and social media posts where he engages in crisis communications using Benoit’s Image Repair Theory. The researcher found initially Manziel successfully employed mortification and corrective action in his major rhetoric. Over time, his incidents began to pile up, and he mostly abandoned his successful strategies, instead using damaging methods such minimization and simple denial. Even when tried to employ the previously successful strategies, his actions did not match his words. Because of this discrepancy and the volume of problems, Manziel’s overall image repair was completely unsuccessful. Keywords: image repair, Benoit, rhetorical analysis, crisis communication, sports, Manziel HIT AFTER HIT 5 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 7 Problem History .................................................................................................................. 10 Theory Introduction ............................................................................................................ 45 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................... 49 Biography of Johnny Manziel ............................................................................................. 49 Benoit’s Image Repair Theory ............................................................................................ 56 History of Benoit’s Image Repair Theory .................................................................. 56 Benoit's Image Repair Theory Typology .................................................................... 58 Additional Strategies .................................................................................................. 62 Benoit's Areas of Application ..................................................................................... 63 Application to Individual Athletes’ Image Repair ..................................................... 67 Other Applications to Sports ...................................................................................... 81 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 85 Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 85 Determining the Strategies .................................................................................................. 85 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 94 Manziel’s Image Repair Strategies ..................................................................................... 94 Rhetoric on Arrest - 11/27/12 Press Conference at Texas A&M............................... 94 Rhetoric on Courtside Tour - 12/20/12 Tweet ........................................................... 94 Rhetoric on Casino Picture & Celebrity Lifestyle - 1/5/13 Tweet & 1/6/13 Press Conference at Discover BCS Bowl ............................................................................ 94 Rhetoric on Online Class Schedule & Lifestyle - 2/18/13 Press Conference at Davey O’Brien Award Ceremony ......................................................................................... 95 Rhetoric on Longhorn Tattoo - 3/12/13 Tweet .......................................................... 95 Rhetoric on Shoving GA & Lifestyle - 3/28/13 Interview with San Antonio Express- News ........................................................................................................................... 96 Rhetoric on Lifestyle, Cabo Trip, Twitter Use & Tattoo - 4/12/13 Interview with Richie and Greggo ..................................................................................................... 96 Rhetoric on Leaving Manning Passing Academy & Lifestyle - 7/17/13 Interview with College Game Day & Press Conference at SEC Media Days ................................... 97 Rhetoric on Fraternity Party - 7/28/13 Tweets .......................................................... 98 Rhetoric on Autograph Investigation - 12/12/13 Interview on SVP & Russillo ........ 99 Rhetoric on Lifestyle - 5/9/14 Press Conference at Browns Facility & Conference Call with media .......................................................................................................... 99 Rhetoric on Partying Pictures & Lifestyle - 5/28/14 Press Conference at Browns Facility ..................................................................................................................... 100 Rhetoric on Partying & Lifestyle - 6/27/14 Press Conference at NFL Play60 Event .................................................................................................................................. 100 Rhetoric on Picture Rolling Money & Lifestyle - 7/25/14 Press Conference at Browns Facility ..................................................................................................................... 101 Rhetoric on Late to Team Meeting - 8/16/14 Press Conference at Browns Facility ..... .................................................................................................................................. 101 Rhetoric on Middle Finger - 8/19/14 Press Conference at Browns Facility ........... 102 Rhetoric on Fight with Fan - 11/28/14 Press Conference at Browns Facility ........ 102 HIT AFTER HIT 6 Rhetoric on Behavior & Lifestyle - 12/24/14 Press Conference at Browns Facility ..... .................................................................................................................................. 103 Rhetoric on Missing Treatment, Partying & Lifestyle - 12/29/14 Press Conference at Browns Facility ........................................................................................................ 104 Rhetoric on Rehab & Lifestyle - 6/7/15 Press Conference at Browns Facility ....... 105 Rhetoric on Incident in Car with Crowley - 10/16/15 Tweets, 10/25/15 Interview at Rams Facility & 11/17/15 Statement on ClevelandBrowns.com ............................. 107 Rhetoric on Partying Videos & Lifestyle - 11/23/15 Press Conference at Charity Event ........................................................................................................................ 107 Rhetoric on Lying about Videos & Lifestyle - 12/9/15 Press Conference at Browns Facility ..................................................................................................................... 108 Rhetoric on Partying in Vegas - 1/2/16 Instagram Post .......................................... 108 Rhetoric on Alleged Domestic Violence - 2/4/16 Interview with TMZ Sports ........