ABSTRACT
A reputational crisis for an athlete can be exacerbated by media narrative. This was the case for Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz when he tested positive for Covid-19. Almost immediately, he was tagged by many in the media as “Patient Zero” of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The assumption that Gobert was the league’s patient zero was unfounded. Within the following week, a handful of other players had tested positive. If transmission had occurred between Gobert and one of the other players, it is impossible to know who had the virus first. Matters were made worse when video of Gobert deliberately touching media members’ microphones resurfaced, and his all-star teammate, Donovan Mitchell, took issue with the way he handled the situation. Gobert’s textbook apology fell upon many deaf ears as the pandemic was generating front page headlines in the sports industry seemingly by the hour. Because of this lack of engagement with Gobert’s apology, and the media’s initial framing of the story, Gobert may forever be branded the NBA’s Covid-19 patient zero. This chapter analyzes Gobert’s reputational crisis, utilizing theoretical concepts found in crisis communication, media framing, and image repair literature.
