NSCS hires PR firm in wake of NCAA investigation
A flood of calls, letters, and emails to the Nebraska State College System about its handling of the NCAA investigation and firing of former Head Football Coach Bill O’Boyle has prompted the System Office to hire a public relations firm to restore its tarnished public image.
Through a bevy of emails and social media, citizens throughout the state and region have complained heavily to public officials about the way the System Office handled those events. The public officials included state and federal senators, the auditor of public accounts, NCAA officials, and even Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman.
Consequently, the NSCS hired Lincoln-based public relations firm Parsons Inc., to repair the system office’s image.
In the first three months of the NCAA investigation, the NSCS paid Parsons $2,666. More than half of that figure, $1,620, covered costs directly related to consulting regarding the NCAA investigation.
Invoices and the service agreement obtained from the system office Monday state the NSCS hired Parsons from Oct. 12, 2011 through Jan. 31, 2012.
The service agreement was established one day prior to the NSCS’ press release announcing Chadron State’s self-report to the NCAA about possible football fundraising violations.
The NSCS is paying Parsons $135 per hour, the documents state.
Specifically, a Nov. 16, 2011, invoice states that the NSCS paid $1,620 to Parsons for 12 hours of “Public Relations Consulting Services Chadron State College / NCAA,” and that Parsons rendered services from Oct. 12 – Nov. 16, 2011 for that amount.
An additional 7.75 hours of non-categorized “public relations consultation” services were logged between Nov. 16 – Dec. 31, 2011, costing $1,046.
Would have been easier and less expensive to do things right from the beginning. Oh well, money is not a big thing with jane and stanley.
Day late and a dollar short, wouldn’t you say? The damage has been done, and it’s gonna take some doin’ to “undone” it.
A sincere thank you to the staff of The Eagle for the fair reporting of the ongoing “investigation” of Coach O’Boyle. I appreciate that you are the only media who are doggedly seeking and reporting the truth. A man’s honor is a stake here. He made mistakes but nothing of the caliber that would warrant what he has had to endure since this whole thing started. Please, keep up the good work.
Here Here for the EAGLE paper, the local news have seen fit only to print what the CSC admin. releases.Which is way less than 1/2 the story.If ALL the actions reguarding this whole situation don’t point to someone trying to cover their tracks i don’t know what does. Lot’s of donors pulling money out, should of thought of that when they started.