THE most difficult job a press officer for any sporting organisation will usually have is trying to explain why a team is failing to perform.
The media relations staff at Ulster Rugby have had a very different set of problems to deal with of late.
But despite the fact that the trial of Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding lasted nine weeks - four weeks longer than initially scheduled - the club did not appear to have an effective strategy in place to deal with the inevitable fall-out.
And despite Whatsapp messages that referred to women as 'sluts' and 'brassers' being read out in the early days of the trial, there doesn't seem to have been any coordinated plan in place to deal with news reporters' quite legitimate questions based on public concern.
Ulster Rugby has always enjoyed a family-friendly image, and many members have spoken of the Christian values they associated with the club as their reason to stay at Kingspan when they could have commanded higher salaries elsewhere.
But that is far from the picture painted in Laganside courtroom 12 during the trial of the two Ulster and Ireland players, who as well as engaging in derogatory conversations about women in their company had been on a four-day drinking binge when finally contacted by police.
While many have tried to pass this misogyny off as 'lads being lads' and 'locker room banter', the reputation of the club has been damaged.
If Ulster Rugby had a prepared statement that reflected the public mood and indicated a very real desire to deal what appears to be a hard-partying culture of hedonistic debauchery at the expense of any woman unfortunate enough to cross paths with some of their players, then maybe they'd be in a better place.
At first when asked by The Irish News, the club said no other player was involved in the Whatsapp exchanges in the days and hours after the alleged attack.
It later confirmed that while not present at the party, Craig Gilroy had sent a sexually explicit and offensive message to Stuart Olding the day after.
He has since issued an apology but will not play for the club this weekend and will after all be included in an internal review.
This was after coach Jono Gibbes was left exposed before the press this week and indicated that Gilroy was available for selection.
The drip-feed of information is not working for Ulster Rugby and management need to step up and deal with this serious issue and explain how they are going to change a culture of misogyny among some of their younger players. They need to realise this is a problem that will not just go away.
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