Twitter Usage

[Full_Rebar]

javadoc is right by the strict letter of the NCAA rules. Anyone who has ever given $ to the Ath Dept or been a season-ticket holder is a booster, so the booster rule is intentionally written to cast a wide net on who meets that category.

I am sure the NCAA has someone monitoring the social media accounts of big-time recruits in fb and hoops, and as Florida just learned, it also relies on schools to report on each other when they suspect violations.

I don't think SU in particular has a concern because everyone is doing it, but the apple on the field and reference to West's HS could be cutting it close when you are talking about someone interpreting if schools are referring to specific recruits.

 

[TheCusian]

Except that the contact is not accidental, it's willful. A better analogy would be going to a gym where a kid is known to work out so that you can say hello, and pitch your school.

That analogy falls apart rather quickly too. Twitter is a social platform that both parties are choosing to frequent. It's more like you are a party where you can overhear conversations.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

My honest feeling is... the NCAA incents programs to cheat by their extreme leniency. It's a stupid organization. It pays for others to cheat. The playing field isn't even.

So, if we're doing something that appears to be a borderline violation, whatever, and if we get punished for it, it's a good gamble.

I'm not jaded against the NCAA or anything though.

 

[Orangetradition44]

Given the way that the rules currently stand, I think White should not be contacting recruits at all.

You do realize he is our director of recruiting, right? He's not a GA. I believe he is considered part of the recruiting class.

I think you're handwringing unnecessarily.

 

[Orangetradition44]

In the recent article on Mr. White, it said he is in CONSTANT contact with the compliance office. Why are you assuming our AD and CO have no idea what is going on?

Genuine question then: why are athletic departments' compliance offices telling people not to do it?

For the record, I think that NCAA regulators would indeed regard some of White's activity as recruiting, even if a player is not mentioned by name.

 

[rrlbees]

Just saw this thread. Regardless of what White is asking people to do, SU has asked us and all fans NOT to engage recruits via social media because it is a violation. Anyone associated with this site that is violating SU's request and the rule, will be banned. Some already have been and a few are on thin ice and will likely be banned soon. If you disagree with this, take it up with the SU Athletic and Compliance departments.


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[orangenauburn]

If they were serious they would shut White down ...

 

[anomander]

The situation was summed up nicely in an interview a few months ago with Chad Mavety. At that time he said he liked Syracuse, but they showed him the least "love" on twitter. at least if he goes elsewhere now it won't be because he wasn't shown love. it's almost a necessity in this day and age. until the ncaa changes the rules your fan base almost has to. from seeing interviews with recruits it has definitely been helping.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

Just saw this thread. Regardless of what White is asking people to do, SU has asked us and all fans NOT to engage recruits via social media because it is a violation. Anyone associated with this site that is violating SU's request and the rule, will be banned. Some already have been and a few are on thin ice and will likely be banned soon. If you disagree with this, take it up with the SU Athletic and Compliance departments.

Now they just need to inform the recruits so they know why they aren't hearing from the Cuse fans.

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[Doctor44]

Just saw this thread. Regardless of what White is asking people to do, SU has asked us and all fans NOT to engage recruits via social media because it is a violation. Anyone associated with this site that is violating SU's request and the rule, will be banned. Some already have been and a few are on thin ice and will likely be banned soon. If you disagree with this, take it up with the SU Athletic and Compliance departments.


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Is that their 'official' stance or has someone reached out and told you that?

 

[oldpinepoint]

 

[supp]

In the recent article on Mr. White, it said he is in CONSTANT contact with the compliance office. Why are you assuming our AD and CO have no idea what is going on?

Link? Glad to hear it if true. It is a bit of a worry since White likely did not have to take a NCAA recruiting test like the other assistants in order to start work. I would hope a young go-getter like him, though, is on top of all these arcane rules.

 

[Doctor44]

Link? Glad to hear it if true. It is a bit of a worry since White likely did not have to take a NCAA recruiting test like the other assistants in order to start work. I would hope a young go-getter like him, though, is on top of all these arcane rules.

http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/index.ssf/2013/06/at_23_years_old_syracuses_eric.html

 

[gocraz4dasu]

#dontcare

 

[SUFan44]

Just saw this thread. Regardless of what White is asking people to do, SU has asked us and all fans NOT to engage recruits via social media because it is a violation. Anyone associated with this site that is violating SU's request and the rule, will be banned. Some already have been and a few are on thin ice and will likely be banned soon. If you disagree with this, take it up with the SU Athletic and Compliance departments.


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Very hypocritical. And that is a fact.

 

[SUFan44]

My honest feeling is... the NCAA incents programs to cheat by their extreme leniency. It's a stupid organization. It pays for others to cheat. The playing field isn't even.

So, if we're doing something that appears to be a borderline violation, whatever, and if we get punished for it, it's a good gamble.

I'm not jaded against the NCAA or anything though.

I'll go one step further - what is the punishment? A warning? A small fine? C'mon. We're spending $17 million on a practice facility. If we're fined $10,000 (which won't happen, by the way) for influencing a few top-tier players to play at SU then so be it.

And for those that think it doesn't matter, get with the times. Like it or not, it does.

 

[rrlbees]

Very hypocritical. And that is a fact.

I contact recruits? Wrong.


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[PhatOrange]

Im going to buy season tickets to buttgers this year, register at their rvls site, put an R sticker on my truck and will start tweeting every recruit under the sun. Maybe I can get them in trouble.

 

[SUFan44]

I contact recruits? Wrong.


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Was not talking about your personal doings - was speaking about the stance that the University has evidently forced this site's administration (and more specifically, has "forced" you) to take. There have been many tweets sent out by SU coaches and staff encouraging Twitter encounters between fans and recruits, and applauding the efforts of those that partake. Yet no repercussions for them? Hmm...

 

[javadoc]

Was not talking about your personal doings - was speaking about the stance that the University has evidently forced this site's administration (and more specifically, has "forced" you) to take. There have been many tweets sent out by SU coaches and staff encouraging Twitter encounters between fans and recruits, and applauding the efforts of those that partake. Yet no repercussions for them? Hmm...

Those are two different groups you are talking about, coaching staff and administration. I am going to try to find out what the University's official stance is, because while the P-S article may say that Eric White is in constant contact with the compliance department, that is his word. Given what the University has said in the past, and what other Universities are saying around the country, I would want to know why there has been a sudden change of stance - if there has been.

 

[spo023]

Those are two different groups you are talking about, coaching staff and administration. I am going to try to find out what the University's official stance is, because while the P-S article may say that Eric White is in constant contact with the compliance department, that is his word. Given what the University has said in the past, and what other Universities are saying around the country, I would want to know why there has been a sudden change of stance - if there has been.

I feel like the Athletic Dept/university puts out the statement that people should not contact recruits just to cover their own asses for compliance purposes. Because the school can't actually stop boosters from tweeting at prospects, that PR statement is the most they can do to stop it from happening (aside from telling the staff to stop condoning it).

 

[javadoc]

I'm not worried at all because every school and their fans are doing it. You cant possibly know whos a booster or not just like black knight said.

White is not breaking any rules either.

First, are you going to stand up in the NCAA "court" and say, "But everyone else is doing it." It is irrelevant whether you expect ever to end up in court - are you hanging your hat on that as your defense should the day ever come?

One of the articles I read stated that by contacting a recruit via social media and saying, "Come to Syracuse!" you become a booster at that very moment, regardless of whatever else you have done. There is a very broad catch-all clause dealing with promoting the school's athletics interests, or some such, that would certainly seem to apply to targeted activities like recruiting a prospect via social media. So it may not be difficult to identify who is a booster for this one specific area of the rulebook - if you pitch your school through social media, you are a booster, by definition.

Finally, why did Eric White post a photo of an apple on our field? Didn't mention a recruit by name, after all. Then why did he do it? Too much idle time on his hands from his paid job? That was recruiting, plain and simple, and recruiting of a specific prospect easily identifiable through the content of the post. Mr. White thinks of Applefield, posts a picture of an apple on a field, and the viewer construes "Applefield" from it. It is no defense to say, "Well, he didn't technically spell out the guy's name in writing." He is not a coach, and until the NCAA decides what to do about the proposed rule to allow some recruiting activities by non-coaches, he broke the rules.

 

[supp]

I feel like the Athletic Dept/university puts out the statement that people should not contact recruits just to cover their own asses for compliance purposes. Because the school can't actually stop boosters from tweeting at prospects, that PR statement is the most they can do to stop it from happening (aside from telling the staff to stop condoning it).

Yeah, I equate it to crowd chants for a recruit at a ball game. I suppose technically that's a recruiting violation but what can anyone do about it? You can ask fans to stop tweeting recruits but you can't force them and there's too much room for sabotage and abuse for the NCAA to really come down on a school about this. School reps directly tweeting recruits is another thing, though. But if a recruit protects his tweets, who's to know? Unless the NCAA gains access to PRISM, it's just not policeable. And I don't think that you can make an example of one school to bring it to a halt without inviting a lawsuit.

All that having been said, I don't like all this twitter/social media bs in recruiting. These 18-year old kids are already getting a thorough arselicking from the coaches. Now we have to bring hordes of fans into the action to get them on campus? Isn't the whole process distasteful enough as it is?

 

[javadoc]

That analogy falls apart rather quickly too. Twitter is a social platform that both parties are choosing to frequent. It's more like you are a party where you can overhear conversations.

Bad analogy, unless you knew that the prospect was going to be at the party, so you went there because of that. The whole point of accidental vs. intentional contact is that you seek out a prospect to make contact, be that by going to a party, or going to a gym, or finding out what a prospect's social media handle is, so that you can go to his site and say something. Twitter isn't a giant room that everyone is sitting in simultaneously and you "overhear" everything. You need to go find someone in a room where he is known to be, more or less.

Truly incidental and random contact has never been a problem, and is not the subject of NCAA regulation, I think.

 

[javadoc]

Yeah, I equate it to crowd chants for a recruit at a ball game. I suppose technically that's a recruiting violation but what can anyone do about it? You can ask fans to stop tweeting recruits but you can't force them and there's too much room for sabotage and abuse for the NCAA to really come down on a school about this. School reps directly tweeting recruits is another thing, though. But if a recruit protects his tweets, who's to know? Unless the NCAA gains access to PRISM, it's just not policeable. And I don't think that you can make an example of one school to bring it to a halt without inviting a lawsuit.

All that having been said, I don't like all this twitter/social media bs in recruiting. These 18-year old kids are already getting a thorough arselicking from the coaches. Now we have to bring hordes of fans into the action to get them on campus? Isn't the whole process distasteful enough as it is?

The crowd chant example is a good one. I'm not sure it is exactly analogous, but it comes close. The difference there may be that everyone was already going to be at the game, and the recruit happening to be there is more of a coincidence, from a rules standpoint. It's not like everyone went to the game to see so-and-so prospect.

But I agree with you completely on the distasteful aspect of it all.