Hat Snatcher’s Statement Is Masterclass in Wrecking Own Rep

By Eric Rose for PRCG | Haggerty LLC

There are PR blunders and there are catastrophes so tone-deaf they become case studies for years to come. The Polish millionaire CEO accused of snatching a tennis cap meant for a child at the U.S. Open has secured his place in the latter category. And his scrambling to apologize afterward shows the importance in crisis comms of getting it right from the start.

The Aug. 28 incident itself was damaging enough: a viral video showing a wealthy adult — Piotr Szczerek, who runs a paving-stone company — muscling a souvenir away from a child in front of millions of fans during the tennis tournament. The optics couldn’t have been worse.

But instead of moving quickly to apologize, explain and repair the harm, Szczerek doubled down. His statement, posted on a Polish job board, may go down as one of the worst PR responses in modern memory.

His words — “Yes, I took it. Yes, I did it quickly. But as I’ve always said, life is first come, first served. If you were faster, you would have it” — are breathtaking in their arrogance. As if that weren’t enough, he followed with a threat: “I remind you that insulting a public figure is subject to legal liability. All offensive comments, slander and insinuations will be analyzed for the possibility of taking the matter to court.”

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