Crisis Management on Different Cases and Events

Crisis Management
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Please reflect on how the university should respond, assuming you are providing recommendations to the President regarding a specific course of action.
Based on the published story that is receiving extended coverage on social media, there are serious allegations about the mistreatment of student-athletes by their new coaches. The Rutgers Softball players have claimed that their head coach, Kristen Butler, along with her husband, Marcus Smith, a volunteer assistant coach, often abuse them physically and emotionally while training them (Stanmyre & Sargeant, 2019). However, it appears that the University of Rutgers has not taken effective measures to address these claims, leading to many athletes quitting the team, sustaining injuries, collapsing after grueling preseason workouts, losing scholarships and medical bills, or, in the worst-case scenario, ending dead (Stanmyre & Sargeant, 2019). Due to these serious accusations, the University of Rutgers should respond by issuing a public apology to the affected individuals. The university should then promise to launch an investigation and take legal action against the culprits. These include firing the coaches and subjecting them to a fair trial if found guilty of the alleged behaviors.
What would constitute an effective response from a crisis management standpoint?
From a crisis management standpoint, launching an internal investigation would constitute an effective response. Investigations would give the truth about the allegations and help the university respond to the crisis appropriately. They are a central part of the crisis management response that generally focus on identifying the root causes and perpetrators of the problem (MacKenzie & Durkin, 2013). Internal investigations will uncover any inappropriate behavior, policy violation, mistreatment claims, and inadequate systems through fact-finding to evaluate liability at an early stage and take appropriate actions (MacKenzie & Durkin, 2013). This will allow the university to make internal and public statements with confidence as it takes necessary steps to address weak systems and procedures identified during the scrutiny.
Would you pick someone within (or outside) Rutgers to take the blame?
As a person in charge of the Office of the University Communications at Rutgers University, I would pick someone responsible for the abuse to take the blame, whether they are within or outside Rutgers. In this case, many allegations are directed towards the coaches. They must take the blame and a...