Dan Leone was a rabid Eagles fan (like there's any other kind) who was living out a dream of working for the organization as a part-time employee. When the Eagles allowed Brian Dawkins to sign with the Broncos, the 32-year-old Leone fired off an angry message on his Facebook. It's the sort of thing you could get away with in a crowded bar in South Philly -- but not in Cyberspace.The Eagles relieved Leone of his duties over the phone, which added fuel to the fire of the Inquirer's muckraking (and entertaining) new columnist John Gonzalez. You have to appreciate a newspaper that can convince a grown man to pose for a picture while holding his keyboard like a helpless animal.
This was the status Leone posted on his Facebook:
"Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver. . .Dam Eagles R Retarted!!"
Nevermind the fact that Leone can't spell, but was his firing justified? The Eagles' Front Office is drawing ire for cutting the employee, who only works part time and admitted that the action was stupid and immediately removed the status after the organization saw it. But the bottom line is this: you NEVER bad-mouth your employer in public.
See, I am a fan and a blogger, with no contractual obligation to the team, so therefore I can say that, yes, the damn Eagles are indeed retarded for letting Dawkins walk.
Whose side are you on? Leone's or the Eagles'?
It is an interesting situation given that there really is no prototype for dealing with a problem like this. Ohhhh the new things that the internet is conjuring up!
ReplyDeleteI think when you work for a company, and you say explicitly negative things that can be read by a number of people...you deserve the ramifications. His opinions were published on the internet! However, I think the eagles were a bit drastic in their termination of his job. Maybe if this were a first offense then he could get a second chance? Or do they have terms in their contract agreements that deal with issues such as these?
The Internet is quickly becoming an arena to play in. But this arena is no sandbox full of safe truck toys and little shovels. This arena is becoming an out-right war zone. People are posting pictures and comments now, which will ultimately be available online ten, twenty even five-hundred years from now. The president of the United States, twenty years from now, will have had a Facebook in college. He will have taken pictures of himself underage drinking and engaging in demeaning, illegal and/or inappropriate activity. And the public will be able to access all of that. It's amazing how people think that the Internet is for private opinions and private pictures. It's not. It's all public and it's all out there for everyone to see now and forever. Facebookers Beware!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm going to say it once and never will it come up in my comment after this point: the Eagles organization is stupid and "retarded" for letting the heart and soul of their team go. Loving this team is getting harder and harder each year. Now that that's out of the way, I don't really know how justified the Eagles were in this debacle. He shouldn't have added that second part about the organization in particular, but each person is allowed to voice their own opinions, and shouldn't be punished for having one. It was on his personal page, without any connection to the Eagles or their public pages, which makes me think he's entitled to it. On the other hand, one should never publish something negative about their employer. I think it was a misstep of emotion, that wasn't really thought through -- but can ya blame the guy? It was heartbreaking.. (I know, I said i wouldn't). I agree with the 2 posts above me in the fact that internet is bringing a whole new batch of issues and problems for publishing and posting. Including jurisdiction problems in lawsuits. I guess we need to fix the first amendment, or work out some worldwide laws, to include something about the internet.
ReplyDeleteThis is a sticky situation and I understand both sides, but in the end, I think that the Eagles were justified in firing him. It's totally ok that he was upset and that he expressed his opinion, but doing that in a public arena is not ok. Despite the fact that he was a huge Eagles fan, he was also their employee. It is really important to be able to separate your personal life from your professional life, even if they intertwine. Even if you are posting something on your own personal facebook, blog, or whatever, it is not your own private property. Everything on the internet is public. If he expressed his opinion in a more private manner, like talking with his friends or writing a diary, that would be ok. But the fact that he posted this as his facebook status means he wanted people to see his comment.
ReplyDeleteI think "freedom of speech" often suffers when we must gaurd our feelings and thoughts to protect ourselves from negative consequences. It is definitely a shame that he was fired for a facebook status, but at the same time...why should facebook even matter in his professional career? I often find myself in this very same moral dilemma. I cannot post what I want on my own facebook because of the job that I hold. God forbid one of my employers (who happen to be politicians, school district employees and police officers) see something they disapprove of and take it up with the rest of the organization I work for. It is terrible though, to feel as though expressing your true opinion or your real personality make cause you to lose your job. I think it is crazy that he was fired for this, but I know that I have to consider my job while on facebook as well. Which reminds me of Obama's speechwriter...weren't there innappropriate pictures of him on facebook...he wasn't fired was he? I think the President's administration is a little bit more important than the Eagles...call me crazy...but maybe, just maybe, if Obama could let it slide, so can Andy Reid.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah, this is a real tough situation. I mean, you shouldn't criticize your employer in a public forum, unless you want to get caught. But, at the same time, you have freedom of speech. But, I think i have to agree with the Eagles here. The last thing they need is some fan-employee bad mouthing them. If he's not crucial to your team, nix him! And as an employee, you may not have to agree with all the decisions your employer makes but you at least have to suck it up and fake it.
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