RIP Matt Dobek

[old_tony]

Knew Matt quite well back in the '80s and '90s on the NBA beat. Saw him again last season for the first time in about 15 years. This is awful, devastating news. Truly one of the nicest men in the business -- at least as far as I know.

That the Pistons did what they did to him is awful. Worse, it led to today. Just horrible news.

 

[zagoshe]

I can't believe this ****. And I didn't realize Editorhoo killed himself as well.

This **** just ruins a day and makes you realize how fragile life is.

I knew Matt a little bit through work and all of my dealings with him were very positive.

RIP

 

[Mizzougrad96]

It's a big reason why so many people in this business have to have a life outside of their jobs. I don't know that this was the case with Dobek, or Editorhoo, but after I got bought out, a friend who was on the same beat as me at a different paper, actually said to me, "If that happened to me, I wouldn't be able to go on. This job is my life."

I feel fortunate that I was able to identify myself as someone's husband and someone's father and that prevented me from ever feeling sorry for myself.

But I know five people who ended their lives largely due to layoffs in the industry and the impact that it had on them and their families. A few of them have had threads dedicated to them on this board, most without any clue what really happened, or because people were too respectful to mention how they ended their lives.

It's really sad.

 

[old_tony]

Jack McCallum checks in with a thoughtful piece.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/jack_mccallum/08/23/matt.dobek/#ixzz0xSmbQN00

 

[ned racine]

knew matt for almost 25 years..funeral and reception this weekend..attendees included isiah,laimbeer,dumars,edwards,long,cureton,vinnie,mahorn,kelser and jack mccloskey to name a few...no current players there or mrs.davidson. nba scribes who flew in included p vescey, j.mccallum,mike monroe and sefko.. raftery was there too. nba represented by brian mcintyre and some staffers.. was fired for allegedly breaching confidentiality agreement..he was never told exactly how and why..no severance..was with organization for almost 30 years. chuck daly was a father figure to him..dobek was kind and generous...can't see for sure whether the firing caused his suicide, because usually there are deeper issues than one incident..but it did put him over the top....RIP

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

Ned,

I feel, then, that this is a good place to share this story. Earlier this season, I heard a rumour (and checked it with a few good sources) that the NHL was approaching Mrs. Davidson to buy back the Lightning on a short-term basis. Before Jeff Vinik bought Tampa, the Lightning were horribly run and the league wanted to get that ownership out of there.

I wanted to talk to Tom Wilson. I knew Dobek a little (although I hadn't covered the NBA in years), but have a good relationship with someone else who is very tight with him. That person offered to help me set it up. A day or two later, that individual called me back, very surprised. He said Wilson wouldn't talk, and neither would Dobek. It was too sensitive an issue, and even though both men trusted my friend, they felt it would be better not to say anything.

I'd be curious to hear, then, how Dobek violated that confidentiality agreement.

 

[Moderator1]

My guess - only that, I know no one involved here - is that he didn't, it was just a cheeseball excuse to move him out without any severance. I can't wish enough ill on people who would treat someone that way.

Plenty of people I do know say Mr. Dobek was the epitome of what a public relations professional should be. I wish I had known him. I hope he's at peace.

And let me repeat: I can't wish enough ill on people who would treat someone that way.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

knew matt for almost 25 years..funeral and reception this weekend..attendees included isiah,laimbeer,dumars,edwards,long,cureton,vinnie,mahorn,kelser and jack mccloskey to name a few...no current players there or mrs.davidson. nba scribes who flew in included p vescey, j.mccallum,mike monroe and sefko.. raftery was there too. nba represented by brian mcintyre and some staffers.. was fired for allegedly breaching confidentiality agreement..he was never told exactly how and why..no severance..was with organization for almost 30 years. chuck daly was a father figure to him..dobek was kind and generous...can't see for sure whether the firing caused his suicide, because usually there are deeper issues than one incident..but it did put him over the top....RIP

I doubt it caused his suicide, but it could have been a final push.

 

[Starman]

My guess is the full truth will never really come out, and I'm also not so sure it's really any of our business, but I suspect if and when it ever did, neither the Davidson or Illitch empires would come out looking very good.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

Why Ilitch?

 

[Starman]

Why Ilitch?

Depending on which of the speculation/conjecture theories you listen to, the Davidson organization whacked Dobek because they thought he was feeding information to the Ilitch organization (presumably through Wilson, although that begs the question, 'what could Dobek tell Wilson that he didn't already know'), and in addition to cashiering Dobek without warning and without severance, effectively blackballed him from getting any significant job in sports media (certainly anything NBA-connected) or even PR in the area.

The corollary would be that if Dobek was indeed feeding the Ilitch empire anything of any value, they had a responsibility to give him at least some kind of junior-flunky position, not let him just fall down the mineshaft. Of course they couldn't give him an organization job right away, but there are ways they could have tiptoed around that. They could talk to some people who could talk to some people, etc etc.

There are already lawsuits flying over the whole deal and how much, if any, of this is true I don't know, but it does pass the basic smell test. I don't know anybody really in tight with either organization these days, but a lot of people on the fringes think something like this might be the explanation. Again, I suppose in the end we may never know.

 

[maumann]

Somewhat off-topic, but was Matt related to Bob Dobek? Bob played hockey for the Detroit Jr. Wings, was on the '76 U.S. Olympic team and played several seasons in the WHA. I think he manages golf courses in the San Diego area now.

I remember watching Bob playing with Mark Howe at the Olympia in 1971-72.

 

[mustangj17]

Why Ilitch?

Depending on which of the speculation/conjecture theories you listen to, the Davidson organization whacked Dobek because they thought he was feeding information to the Ilitch organization (presumably through Wilson, although that begs the question, 'what could Dobek tell Wilson that he didn't already know'), and in addition to cashiering Dobek without warning and without severance, effectively blackballed him from getting any significant job in sports media (certainly anything NBA-connected) or even PR in the area.

The corollary would be that if Dobek was indeed feeding the Ilitch empire anything of any value, they had a responsibility to give him at least some kind of junior-flunky position, not let him just fall down the mineshaft. Of course they couldn't give him an organization job right away, but there are ways they could have tiptoed around that. They could talk to some people who could talk to some people, etc etc.

There are already lawsuits flying over the whole deal and how much, if any, of this is true I don't know, but it does pass the basic smell test. I don't know anybody really in tight with either organization these days, but a lot of people on the fringes think something like this might be the explanation. Again, I suppose in the end we may never know.

What would Illitch need with Dobek when he already had Wilson? Did Wilson come over to Olympia Entertainment from the Pistons before Dobek was fired. It had to be around the same time, right?

 

[Starman]

What would Illitch need with Dobek when he already had Wilson? Did Wilson come over to Olympia Entertainment from the Pistons before Dobek was fired. It had to be around the same time, right?

Wilson joined Olympia Holdings in late February. Dobek was fired in mid-May.

 

[mustangj17]

Rosenberg columnizes...

http://www.freep.com/article/20100830/COL22/8300373/1355/SPORTS/Dobek-is-a-tragedy-amid-darkness-of-depression

 

[WolvEagle]

So does Frank Beckmann ...

http://detnews.com/article/20100827/OPINION03/8270340/Kindness--not-job-defined-lost-friend

 

[Joe Williams]

Q: Will ANYTHING change, as a result of this, in the way corporate America (or at least the worst of corporate America) goes about its terminations of dedicated employees?

No matter what the claim against Matt might have been, it sounds like he was blindsided by the termination, which suggests no review process, no mature sitdown, no chance for representation and so on. Twenty-nine years over with the snap of some fingers?

Go ahead, CEOs and MBAs. Reduce absolutely everything to a ledger line and a scribble of black ink vs. red ink. Make all employees feel that they were hired on for a task only and, once paid for that task, there is no connection, bond or relationship until the next task. See how well -- without loyalty, without pride, without people identifying with the organization and giving a little extra -- that works out for you.

Oh wait, we're pretty much there.

 

[old_tony]

Hate to bring a painful thread back to life, but I wonder how the Pistons will handle this.

Would Matt's family show up at the Palace for the ceremony knowing what the Pistons did to him?

MATT DOBEK NAMED 2010 SPLAVER/MCHUGH AWARD RECIPIENT

NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2011 – Matt Dobek, public relations director and vice
president of the Detroit Pistons between 1981 and 2010, today was
posthumously honored as the winner of the 2010 Splaver/McHugh "Tribute to
Excellence" Award. The award is given annually by the NBA Public Relations
Directors’ Association to a current or former member of the NBA public
relations family who has demonstrated an outstanding level of performance
and service during his or her NBA career.

Dobek was regarded as one of the league’s most prominent publicity
professionals while also acting as a mentor for many in the profession.
During Dobek’s three-decade tenure, the Pistons’ franchise appeared in five
Finals, winning the NBA championship three times (1989-90, 2004), and
reached the Eastern Conference Finals 10 times. Following the Pistons’
first championship, he and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas co-authored "Bad
Boys: An Inside Look at the Detroit Pistons’ 1988-89 Championship Season".

In 1992, Dobek also served a media relations role for the gold
medal-winning Olympic Dream Team coached by Pistons head coach Chuck Daly.
Throughout his career he helped coordinate media operations for numerous
events hosted at The Palace of Auburn Hills during the building’s first 21
years. Dobek was also part of the franchise when the Detroit Shock
captured three WNBA championships.

A Michigan native, Dobek began his career with the Pistons after graduating
from Central Michigan University. He was inducted into the Central Michigan
Journalism Hall of Fame in 2009.

The Splaver/McHugh Award is named in memory of two of the most highly
respected public relations executives in NBA history, Marc Splaver and
Howie McHugh. Splaver, who passed away from leukemia in May 1978, was the
Public Relations Director of the Washington Bullets for five seasons in the
1970s. McHugh served for more than 40 years as the original Public
Relations Director of the Boston Celtics.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

What ceremony? Even if he was alive and still working with the Pistons, there likely wouldn't be a ceremony at center court.

Most people at the arena wouldn't know who he is. PR directors usually don't have name recognition with most fans.

 

[Starman]

The Davidson regime (i.e Karen Davidson) wants nothing more than to get rid of the franchise 30 seconds ago.

Problem is, they keep asking high, then when they seem to have a fish on the line (i.e. Ilitch a few months ago and Gores in recent weeks) the prospective buyer lowers the bid, the deal falls apart, and back they go to Square One.

They won't do a thing about Dobek.

(From most reports now, the Ilitch empire is out of the running completely so whatever info Dobek might even conceivably have been feeding Wilson is moot anyway.)