Upon further reflection of the Crisis Management Seminar, it made me ponder some of the recent scandals I’ve seen. One that I have a personal connection with is the St. Louis Cardinals’ Scandal that was revealed over the summer. As a fan of the Cardinals, I was distressed to hear that the Cardinals were the subject of an FBI Investigation. The Cardinals Organization was being investigated for the hacking of the Houston Astros’ internal database and stealing information.
When news of the FBI Investigation was made public on Tuesday morning, June 16, the Cardinals’ Organization was at the center point of a scandal and everyone wanted to hear the Cardinals respond. However, it wasn’t until Wednesday evening, June 17, that the Cardinals’ Executives addressed the media for the first time. Both the CEO and General Manager expressed they had “zero knowledge” of the hacking until the FBI informed them of the hack “several months ago”.
Of course, now that everyone knows the allegations, people want answers and action. The Cardinals provided the answers they could legally give, but people were still craving action. Almost three weeks after the Cardinals’ Executives spoke for the first time, the Cardinals Organization announced the termination of the contract with their Scouting Director, Chris Correa. Correa admitted to hacking into the Astros’ database, but there were additional hacks and leaks that the FBI was investigating.
Professor Rein would commend the way the Cardinals’ Organization handled the scandal. The Cardinals’ Executives answered the media’s questions appropriately and maintained their credibility. They did not respond immediately, but waited a day to sleep on it before they addressed the media. The Cardinals’ Executives also kept their comments short stating that since the FBI Investigation was “ongoing,” they were not permitted to speak on the subject for sensitivity reasons. The Cardinals Organization also took the proper actions to remove an employee who participated in the hack.
Since the firing of Chris Correa, there have been no new (public) developments regarding the scandal. After speaking with Professor Rein about the matter, he believes Major League Baseball will punish the Cardinals Organization for their actions – but it likely won’t be severe.
Countless MLB analysts and writers have praised the Cardinals Organization for their winning ways and successful drafts in the recent decade. They are repeatedly referred to as a “model franchise” for their operations both on and off the ball field. Even at being rocked by a scandal, the Cardinals Organization continues to operate in a model fashion.