In every crisis, there are three 'R's that anyone trying to de-escalate the situation should know: regret, reason, and remedy. The Patriots could use a remedial lesson on those three 'R's, says Juliette Kayyem, homeland security expert and host of the "Security Mom" podcast. She laid out the case for how the team—and its maligned leader, quarterback Tom Brady—should move forward after the disgrace of Deflategate.
Here's her advice:
1. Regret. First, you have to accept responsibility for the fact you made a mistake. "Show that you understand this is a big deal," she said.
2. Reason. Provide a logical narrative for what happened, if it didn't happen the way officials say. "Explain what's going on. I look at those texts that came out in the Wells Report. I have a theory of what that happened, and it's not good for Tom Brady," she said. "If there's a counter-theory, we need to hear it."
3. Remedy. The third 'R' is all about making amends. For Tom Brady, that's a little complicated, since it means testifying before the great and fickle court of public opinion. Kayyem recommends that Brady speak directly to his fans—especially the young fans who idolize him—and apologize. "You're not going to make it not a big deal by going after Goodell and the NFL and Wells," she said.
So how have the Patriots performed so far in managing Deflategate? "Those three 'R's, I think they failed miserably," Kayyem said.
She also dismisses defensive Patriots fans, saying that in the end, it's not about Goodell or the NFL or a vast conspiracy theory against Brady.
"This is about Tom Brady and our Patriots," she said. "He's just getting really bad advice, I think."
To hear more from homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem, tune in to Boston Public Radio above.
