Eagles management & misplaced priorities......

ESPN has reported (here) the Philadelphia Eagles fired Dan Leone today. You may not know Dan Leone, he wasn't a linebacker, wide receiver, or coach. Dan was a part time Stadium Operations employee who has been fired by the organization. The reason for which he was fired is somewhat bizarre, raises questions about the organization, and creates a slippery slope for employees with any degree of online visibility or personality.

Mr. Leone was unhappy that the Eagles did not sign Brian Dawkins, who signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos. On his personal Facebook page, as a status update, Mr. Leone posted: "Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver ... Dam Eagles R Retarted!!"[sic]

For that post, Mr. Leone was terminated via a phone call early this morning. This raises an slew of questions concerning freedom of speech, professionalism, hypocrisy, and perhaps could set precedence of how companies deal with online visibility in the new virtual world in which we live in.

1) My biggest question is perhaps the most insignificant, but one that which boggles me..... How did the Eagles front office know what Mr. Leone posted on Facebook? Do they have someone assigned to Internet surfing to find out what all of their employees may be saying in online forums, on Facebook, on Myspace, on Twitter, or in their personal blogs? Or did the Eagles have an employee who wasn't even supposed to be surfing Facebook find it and tattle to front office management that Mr. Leone called them "retards"? On a sports discussion forum, Mr. Leone could have signed up anonymously and raked the Eagles through the mud with them never being able to find out, with no repercussions to himself.

2) When Terrell Owens played for the Eagles he regularly did and said things on the side lines and in press conferences, that while perhaps not as permanent as a Facebook post, certainly indicated that he thought coaches, teammates and front office management were viewed in his eyes as "mentally incapable." T.O. wasn't fired, immediately. Nor do other professional sports teams fire employees (who happen to play on the field or court) for voicing disagreements with management. Therefore, to fire an employee over such a Facebook comment is actually unprecedented, and could possibly set forth a landmark decision if it were to go to court with regards to grounds upon which a sports team can fire an employee.

3) I cannot discount the fact that Mr. Leone's comments were inappropriate and as he has admitted he should not have posted them. However, it was a personal web page, and he was voicing his personal opinion. How many employees have voiced similar disagreements with company management over new policies, procedures, etc. standing around the water cooler or too each other over lunch? Do American companies now rule with a Marxist Iron fist in that whether you like something or not you had better like it?

4) Assuming the Eagles feel the post was defaming, a stretch at best, how much discontent could a part time Stadium Operations Chief cause? Would everyone at gate 4 suddenly feel that Dawkins should have been signed? The repercussions must have been horrific to the Eagles front office.

5) However appropriate or inappropriate you feel the post on FaceBook was, Mr. Leone was simply being Dan the Fan! He loved the Eagles, he was a Brian Dawkins fan. The Eagles have not been immune to making some bone head personnel moves over the years. Why is a fan, who is still going to be a fan, voicing his disagreement with a personnel move so cataclysmic? The fallout is certainly less than when players do it in the locker room causing discontent, resentment, and strife within a group of players who have to be on the same page on the field. And it is certainly often less when they do it in public!

6) If Mr. Leone takes this to court (I selfishly hope that he does), I don't know that it will hold up as a lawful termination of an employee. The First Amendment right to free speech certainly must be considered. Mr. Leone's comments were on a personal website that is mostly used as a method to stay in contact with close acquaintances. There is certainly a business/professional networking use for Facebook, but less than 20% of it's users use it in that manner. Furthermore, Mr. Leone made no pretensions of making any sort of an official statement for the Eagles, only a handful of people who potentially saw it likely new that Leone also worked for the Eagles, and what's more is, what was the repercussional impact from his statement? That four of his friends agreed with him? Four friends that are likely Eagles fan as well, and will probably save money to pay $150 bucks next year to sit in the cold in December and watch the game through binoculars while drinking a $10 beer that is half foam along with a cold hot dog on stale bread that cost another $8 bucks? All while wearing an $80 McNabb jersey, a $120 Eagles Jacket, and a $30 Eagles hat? Those were the type guys the Eagles front office were afraid Leone may influence? OK!

If any rational thought and prudence had been used in this situation, it should have unfolded as follows"

Front office is informed of Leon's post to Facebook, they question the informant if and if so why they were on Facebook while on the clock working for the Eagles! Upon seeing and disapproving of Leone's comments, call his immediate supervisor in, discuss the matter with him. Bring Leone in, inform him you disapprove, perhaps even suspend him for a game, get his assurance that it will not happen again, discuss the concept of professionalism, shake hands and in that way you wouldn't look like an idiot in the press.

But no! The Eagles had to make yet another poor personnel decision, yet this time it didn't even involve a player!