Inappropriate Social Media Posts Cost University of Houston Football Players Spots on Team

By Cynthia Herbert :: 10:52 AM

Inappropriate posts by football players in the incoming class at the University of Houston have cost those players their spots on the team roster, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

Head coach Tony Levine announced this weekend that he dropped three recruits from his team because of remarks they made on Twitter and other social media networks. He did not say what the remarks were, or provide any detail about them, only to confirm that the messages were sent while the recruits were in class, and late at night.

Levine and his coaching staff had already briefed players about expectations of their use of social media while on the team. The University of Houston does allow its athletic team participants to maintain public social media accounts – not all colleges do.

It is becoming increasingly more commonplace for colleges to consider the social media presence and behavior of applicants and recently admitted students. There have been cases, especially at prestigious schools, of admitted students being released from the incoming class due to remarks they have made on social media sites.

“There was a case a few years ago,” recalls college search consultant Monica Snyder, “where an elite college in upstate New York rescinded an offer of admission to a student who made an off-color joke in the school’s Facebook group.”

Snyder also remarked that many schools watch their athletic recruits and players very carefully, often subjecting them to additional scrutiny and regulations on social media use.