Community

If you read today's edition of our e-newsletter Marketing News Exclusives, you'll notice a story about Quicken Loans, the Cleveland Cavaliers and homeless man-turned-Internet sensation Ted Williams. Williams, as you may know, was discovered by a Columbus Dispatch reporter to have a great speaking voice suited for voiceover and announcement work. After the video blew up on YouTube, the Cavaliers and Quicken jointly offered Williams a job as a voiceover talent.

Since that offer was extended, Williams has announced he was going to rehab, putting the brands in a little bit of a tight spot. They had jointly launched WeWantTedWilliams.com promoting the offer, Williams and Quicken Loans, and in light of the news, took the site down last Friday, redirecting visitors to a blog about Quicken Loans' community involvement that made no mention of Williams.

After the article's deadline, the site added the following statement about Williams and the job offer:

As many of you visiting this site are aware, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans extended a job offer to Ted Williams nearly two weeks ago. Since then, Ted has been forced to confront some serious issues in his life. All of us in the Cavs and Quicken Loans family wish Ted well on his journey toward recovery, and remain excited at the possibility of working alongside him when his recovery allows. Last week, both the Cavaliers and Quicken Loans issued the below statement in response to the flood of requests we have received regarding Ted and our job offer: "The Cavaliers, Quicken Loans and our entire family of companies wish Ted Williams and his family the best as they continue their unique journey. We hope they have many great days ahead of them together, but understand they also have some very important issues they must address. When Ted is healthy and has successfully worked through the critical personal challenges he faces, and should he want, we will be there to discuss his work interests and help him create a path for future professional success.”