Every person wants his or her day in court a chance to explain what happened and why. Bring up the bright side, the positive side of the person. Once when I was meeting with members of a project team, team members started bashing a person whom they perceived to be a competitor. I think he deserves better. He's one of the great presenters of our time.
People often have an unconscious energy about negative gossip.
They may sense that their name is being used in vain, that their enemies are conspiring against them. I think that's more common than we know. I think people have a sixth sense for when they're being slighted. So, one of the best reasons for defending people who are absent is that those idle words those character assassinations, hasty judgments, and poor decisions won't come back to haunt you.