The NCAA needs to be clearer with its member schools on how to monitor social media activity of student-athletes.
How can you punish someone for doing something that's not against the rules?
Just ask Dick Baddour. He's the athletic director at the University of North Carolina.
This week, Baddour released the university's response to a long list of NCAA violations that have ensnared the Tarheel football program for more than a year. In its self-imposed sanctions, UNC voluntarily vacated 16 wins and gave up nine scholarships during a three-year period. The university will also fork over $50,000 in fines and spend two years on probation.
It's all deserved. Well, almost all of it.
In its report, the NCAA dinged the university's football program for failure to "adequately and consistently monitor social networking activity that visibly illustrated potential amateurism violations within the football program" that delayed the discovery of the improper benefits received by players, according to the FayObserver.
Small problem. The NCAA doesn't have member guidelines for monitoring "social networking activity." It does vaguely cover the topic of social networking as it relates to recruiting, but is silent on how schools should keep tabs on NCAA student-athletes who choose to use Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.
Silent. Zip. Nothing.
I don't get it. Like I said, how can you get in trouble for something that's not against the rules? Baddour agrees, and rightfully disputed that charge in UNC's response.
"We accept responsibility for what we have done," Baddour told the news media. "But we debated that, and decided we had done what was expected of us, or what could be expected of us. We didn't feel like we could give in on that point."
Good for him. And good for the university.
It's time for the NCAA to bring to light not just what's expected - but what's required - of its member schools and their athletes as it relates to social media. It's time for a real social media policy.
I argued this point recently as it relates to colleges and universities. The schools should be training their student-athletes on how to use social media properly. But it's hard to do so when the NCAA has not weighed in on the subject fully.
It's time. Heck, it's past due. The NCAA needs well-defined social guidelines. Only then will student-athletes understand what's expected of them, and only then will colleges and universities be able to properly monitor those student-athletes.
What social media guidelines do you think the NCAA should adopt? Leave a comment below. I'll include them in a future blog post here at FourthAnd140.com.
Thanks for being a fan.