Eagles drink in another PR disaster

Maybe the Eagles should take a page out of the playbook being employed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

And it’s not because they’re both driving us to drink.

LCB workers are about to drink in some tips on manners. In fact, the state is going to spend $173,000 to help liquor clerks in their dealings with the public. They’ll get tips, such as saying “thank you” and “come again.”

Basically, it’s a public relations gimmick.

The Eagles have their hands full these days with furious fans who are still doing a slow burn about the loss of Brian Dawkins. Yesterday, the Eagles decided to throw a little gas on the fire by allowing Tra Thomas, another longtime veteran who protected Donovan McNabb’s blind side at left tackle, to walk away. Thomas signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But the latest furor involving the Eagles doesn’t have anything to do the loss of Brian Dawkins or Tra Thomas.

This one has to do with a guy named Dan Leone.

Leone’s saga was brought to light by a former Daily Times colleague, John Gonzalez, who now writes a column for the Inquirer.

Leone is a die-hard Eagles fan who grew up in the shadow of the stadium complex in South Philly. He’s also a part-time employee. For six years, Leone was a game-day worker who manned a gate at Lincoln Financial Field.

When Brian Dawkins signed with the Broncos, Leone made a posting on his Facebook page critical of the team’s decision.

This did not sit well with the Eagles’ brass. The famously paranoid “gold standard” learned about Leone’s posting and asked to speak to him about it. Leone immediately thought better of the posting and took it down.

Too late. The Eagles fired him. For their part, the Eagles are not talking about the situation, referring to it as a personnel move. It only seems like everyone else is. It was featured in an ESPN online poll.

The thing is, once again I find myself in the odd position of not really disagreeing with the Eagles. But it’s the way they go about things that just consistently rubs people the wrong way.

First off you would think they have more pressing concerns than the online postings of a part-time worker. Apparently not.

It serves as a reminder of the dangers about what people post on those popular Facebook and MySpace pages.

The Eagles certainly were within their rights to talk to Leone about his posting. Maybe they even could have offered some kind of discipline. But firing the guy?

Yes, the Eagles could argue they were within their rights. But once again they prove what so many of their fans already firmly believe: They don’t get it. They don’t truly understand the passion of the Eagles fans. Maybe more importantly, they don’t seem to care.

Right now they hunker down inside the bunker at the NovaCare Center. In the meantime, Leone is interviewed by media outlets across the region.

This didn’t have to happen. But the Eagles seem unable to do things in any way other than the heavy-handed, uncaring, unfeeling, un-PR savvy way their critics believe is their consistent modus operandi.

It’s enough to drive you to drink.

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