Saintswrath

Former White House spokesman Fleischer advising Bucs

This is a story that comes out of left field.

Apparently the Bucs have enlisted the help of former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer in their search to replace their outgoing public relations director, according to the Sports Business Daily.

Why? That's initially what I asked, too.

But it's actually because Fleischer has been advising companies and individuals on crisis management and public relations since leaving the White House. His firm, Ari Fleischer Sports Communications, has been involved in assisting the NFL and the BCS in their respective challenges.

Why do the Bucs need this heavy hitter? As the story outlines, it's possibly because the Glazer family, which owns the Bucs, is facing a lot of public scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic -- from the supporters of their soccer property, Manchester United, and the Bucs.


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Fleischer helps Bucs hire a new mouthpiece
Posted by Mike Florio on March 15, 2010 3:21 PM ET
The role of Ari Fleischer in the sports industry continues to grow.

Fleischer, who has helped the Packers find a way to extricate themselves from Brett Favre and who has helped Mark McGwire find a way to acknowledge his steroid use and who is helping Tiger Words find a way back onto the golf course, is now helping the Buccaneers find a way to find a guy (or gal) who will be responsible for dealing with reports, rumors, and inquiries regarding the oft-embattled franchise.

According to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal, Fleischer is assisting the team's effort to find a new Director of Communications.

"I am helping spread the word for the Bucs about their opening and am holding preliminary talks with some candidates," Fleischer told Kaplan. "The rest of the interview process and the decision about who to hire are determined by the Bucs."

Fleischer's involvement shows that the old ways of filling these jobs won't apply, and that the Bucs realize that a first-class football operation accused of not pursuing first-class players at a minimum needs a first-class spin doctor to do some of the dirty work that currently has been landing on the plate of G.M. Mark Dominik and coach Raheem Morris.