From a PR Standpoint, ‘Boys ‘Worse Than Raiders’

Pat Kingsley makes her living as a partner for PMK, a Los Angeles-area public-relations firm, advising high-powered Hollywood clients such as Tom Cruise and Michelle Pfeiffer how to maintain and improve their public image.

Asked about the star-studded Dallas Cowboys, who are trying to spruce up their tarnished reputation, Kingsley said, “It’s not working.

“I always thought of the Cowboys as America’s Team, going back to players such as Roger Staubach. What’s happening now saddens me.”

And how does she view the team’s current image?

“They are worse than the image of the Raiders,” she said.

The Cowboys’ image has been battered by a series of off-the-field problems, including players renting a house to spend time with their girlfriends--away from their wives.

“It all starts with the bad image of their owner; he’s not a popular man,” Kingsley said. “He should be quieter, the team should shut up and play football, and instead of going out for beer, they should do some charity work. Just because they are professional players doesn’t give them the right to abuse the sport or abuse society.”

Many of the Cowboys are involved in community work, but more than any other team in the league the Cowboys have been hit with drunk-driving charges, assault and rape allegations, and drug problems.

“They are out of control,” Kingsley said. “The only way to get back in control is to find out where they are vulnerable and hit them there.

“A $5,000 fine, even a $50,000 fine doesn’t mean anything to these people. You probably have to make them lose time on the field--take games away from them. But that’s the problem here--all the things they are doing wrong will be accepted so long as they keep winning.”

And once they start losing no one will care what they do in their spare time.