George Atallah
| George Atallah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Lebanon |
| Nationality | Lebanese American |
| Occupation | Assistant executive director of external affairs for the National Football League Players Association |
George Atallah is an American business executive and public relations professional. He is currently the assistant executive director of external affairs for the National Football League Players Association, a position he has held since 2009.
Early life and education
George Atallah was born in Lebanon and moved to New York City as a child.[1] Growing up he was a fan of the New York Giants.[2] Atallah attended Boston College where he earned two bachelor's degrees, one in English and one in philosophy.[3] In 2009, Atallah earned his Master of Business Administration from George Washington University.[3][4]
Career
Atallah has worked in the field of public relations, and media strategy.[1][5] In the early 2000s, he worked at Goldman Sachs as a senior client analyst.[1][6] Following his time at Goldman Sachs, Atallah worked as a senior development associate for the nonprofit organization Seeds of Peace[1][3] and then at the consulting firm Fahmy Hudome International.[5] Atallah then joined the public relations firm Qorvis Communications in 2006, where he specialized in media relations and crisis communications strategies and focused on U.S.-Middle East relations.[3][5]
Work with NFLPA
In 2009, Atallah was hired by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) to serve as the organization's assistant executive director of external affairs, a newly created position.[2][3][5] Atallah was the first major hire carried out by then-recently elected NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith,[7][8] with whom Atallah had become acquainted while working at Qorvis.[3]
At the NFLPA, Atallah serves as a spokesman, speaking on behalf of the players to communicate the players' opinions on issues related to the league. He is noted for his use of social media, particularly Twitter, and is also responsible for communicating on television and radio.[3][9] Atallah has also been active in educating NFL players on how to convey their thoughts to the public.[3]
As assistant executive director of external affairs, Atallah has helped to address issues of player health and safety. He was active throughout the 2011 NFL lockout, during which he managed the NFLPA's online outreach and interviews with media outlets nationwide.[1][3][8] Atallah has also been interviewed about homosexual players in the NFL.[10]
In February 2013, Atallah participated in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread where he answered questions about player health and safety and other issues related to the NFL.[11]
In 2014, Atallah spoke on behalf of the NFLPA regarding the union's role in defending players' rights under the union's collective bargaining agreement when Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice became suspended indefinitely after a video of a physical altercation with his wife became public.[12][13]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Stephen J. Dubner (30 November 2009). "Bring Your Questions for N.F.L. Players Union Executive George Atallah". Freakonomics.com. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- 1 2 Dave Hollander (23 April 2010). "My Breakfast with the NFLPA". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Liz Mullen (28 March 2011). "NFLPA's Atallah helps players shape voice, then get it heard". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ "GWSB Undergraduate News". The George Washington University School of Business. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Mike Florio (28 May 2009). "De Smith Creates A Key Position For An NFLPA Outsider". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ Michael Schottey (4 January 2011). "NFL Lockout Looming: League Has Interesting Bedfellows, Intriguing Doublespeak". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ Liz Mullen (28 May 2009). "NFLPA's Smith Makes Atallah First Major Hire In Exec Dir Role". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- 1 2 Tom Anderson (15 July 2011). "Football Turns To K Street". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ Richard Sandomir (26 January 2011). "In N.F.L. Labor Fight, Battlefield Moves Online". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ↑ Cyd Zeigler (10 January 2013). "NFLPA exec George Atallah: Locker room will 'embrace' gay teammate". Outsports. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ↑ Louis Bien (28 February 2013). "George Atallah on NFL player safety: 'There's more to do'". SBNation.com. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ↑ Ken Belson (1 September 2014). "N.F.L. Players Union on Its Role in a Possible Appeal by Rice". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ↑ Audie Cornish; David Greene (17 September 2014). "NFL Players Union Files An Appeal To Ray Rice's Suspension". npr.org. NPR. Retrieved 30 September 2014.