Players on Twitter

[AndrewDavid]

This is one of my biggest pet peeves with Nebraska is that we allow our players on Social Sites. I wanted to bring this up earlier this year but wanted to see how the season panned out. Almost everyone of Huskers Football Team is on Twitter, and minutes just before the game they are tweeting about stupid junk. I think Bo needs to put a ban on it starting next fall. We really were braced to have a good year this past year and things happened and we saw a lot of unfocused players. The Husker Twitter movement started back in June, and spread like fire through out the summer.

Prime Example Brandon Kinnie, quote me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he rated as the #17 WR in the nation at the beginning of the year? He was a huge disappointment to me all year, and yet he was the biggest user of twitter on the team. Coincidence? I think not.

The next issue I have is with players posting pics of other players asleep during class, on Twitter, yes it has been done, several times throughout this past year, some players were even Tweeting during film sessions for practice. Come'on, back when I played HS football we got our butts chewed for any type of thing, other than focusing on practice.

I just feel like the sites can get players in to trouble easy. They say it is good for fan base, but really what player really gives a crap about tom, dick and harry following him on Twitter, it's not like he will become BFFs with them down the road. Sure they might be good for an ego boost once in awhile after a bad game, but other than that, do you think a player could tell me when that persons birthday is, or who their wife/husband might be. Nope...because all they care about, is how many followers they have and how many tweets they have sent.

Quick stats.
*Brandon Kinnie tweets YTD - 22,321
*He started his twitter account in June.
*Thats 3,188 Tweets a month.
*Thats 797 a week.
*Thats a 113 Tweets a day, an average of 5 per hour.
*YOU CAN'T TELL ME HE WAS FULLY FOCUSED ON FOOTBALL WHEN HE HAS TO SEND A NEW TWEET EVERY 20 MINUTES.

IDK I could be blowing this out of proportion, but I really do feel like the players, some not all, have turned more focus on Social Sites, than their focus on school or athletics. Bo banned it during bowl game prep. But 2 days before the bowl, players were up and tweeting again. I think Rex Burkhead is the only player who hardly gets on Twitter, and Taylor Martinez.

[AlbqHusker]

I think I heard Urban Meyer is putting a stop to that $h!+ in Columbus already.  The demise of society in my opinion.  A bunch of self absorbed narcissistic fools.  I love Charles Barkley's take on Twitter.  

[hanny]

i guess my stance is i don't wanna know. when they all started getting on there, i just steered clear. i can't think of what kind of ego boost that would be, having all those people "care" about what you're doing or saying. to be honest, i don't really care what any 19 year old is doing with their time. it's probably embarrassing for everyone involved. so i try to ignore, and i think i largely have. except the rare occasion one of them complains about playing time or something and it becomes a thing. i guess i feel the same way you do - just get rid of it. you're either going to run into conflicts of when it's happening (film sessions, right before a game, etc.), what's happening (sleeping in class, poor representation in general), or saying something stupid about the program. i know it's a responsibility thing, but it doesn't end anywhere good. put the cell phones down for a while.

[Red Said Ted]

If you took twitter away from Bk, what would he do with his hands?   

[AndrewDavid]

If you took twitter away from Bk, what would he do with his hands?   

Thats probably why he couldn't catch, his thumbs hurt to much from updates. lol

[HuskerFan2002]

I know a lot of fans follow Husker players (and I don't follow them because I don't really care about them tweeting that they rolled out of bed, lunch time, meeting with Bo at 2pm, etc.) I follow a few ex Huskers which is different.

The only way I can see this Twitter-gate being truly enforced is having every single Husker player that's on Twitter protect their tweets. They can share their tweets with people that they trust. I know a few people that I follow protect their tweets because they don't want the whole world to know what they're doing.

Someone should write a story about college athletes using Twitter. Does Les Miles have a Twitter ban? Nick Saban? Mike Gundy?

[HuskerFan2002]

And also, if Bo bans Twitter, is he going to ban Facebook?

[Sexy Leather]

It's too bad someone who "follows" Kinnie on Twitter didn't tweet back about how maybe he should actually focus of catching the ball.

 

[SUHnami]

If you took twitter away from Bk, what would he do with his hands?   

Ouch Ted!    

That would explain a lot.  Instead of focusing on catching the ball he was quickly trying to tweet that he was going to catch the ball before the ball got there. 

[SUHnami]

And also, if Bo bans Twitter, is he going to ban Facebook?

I don't think BO should ban Twitter or Facebook until they player(s) show they cannot be responsible using either.  At which point said player(s) need to delete their Twitter or Facebook account if they want to play.  If they don't they don't get to play.  I think it's a huge distraction for a coach and have no probs with Urban Meyer banning it's use. 

[AndrewDavid]

It's too bad someone who "follows" Kinnie on Twitter didn't tweet back about how maybe he should actually focus of catching the ball.

 

O trust me a few did, and he turned it on them saying they weren't true fans because of their comments and all this hoop-la

[AndrewDavid]

I just read an article that Nick Saban does not put a ban on Twitter, but instead has exstensive rules, that no one can post about the team or what the team is doing. But when his players were interviewed, alot of them had the attitude of not caring about twitter anyway, more of a "I'm going to lead by example" and not use it attitude.

I bet if Rex Burkhead were to state something about players not using Twitter and being 110% focused, I bet numerous players would step up and say, If you got a leader on the team saying this, maybe I should follow and support my team also. IDK, but I feel like something needs to be done. Before Nebraska gets a NCAA violation from one of its players running their mouth, or posting something stupid. Because the NCAA does have software, they pay $10,000 a year for it, and they have athletes names inserted into it, so that it can monitor their post and comments.

[OhioHusker43065]

Nobody should use twitter unless it's to broadcast a cure for cancer, world peace or the end of hunger.  Other than that nobody gives a damn.  But a self centered fools that think anyone gives a crap what you are doing at all moments of the day.  I find it highly interesting that the worst pass catcher is the biggest tweeter.  You could actually say that Kinnie is a pass dropper who occasionally and accidently catches a ball.

[UNK_LOPERS]

Unfortunately, I think our problems go a bit deeper than players on twitter I'm afraid.  I don't know if I'd ban twitter, kids are kids and this whole social media thing ain't going away anytime soon.  I'd like to see Bo adopt the Saban rule, nothing about the team.  There were times that a few of those kids were a little out of control. 

At the end of the day, I think Bo will probably put down some rules.  I don't think he will ban it until it becomes a real problem, then I'm sure he will fix it. 

[AndrewDavid]

Unfortunately, I think our problems go a bit deeper than players on twitter I'm afraid.  I don't know if I'd ban twitter, kids are kids and this whole social media thing ain't going away anytime soon.  I'd like to see Bo adopt the Saban rule, nothing about the team.  There were times that a few of those kids were a little out of control. 

At the end of the day, I think Bo will probably put down some rules.  I don't think he will ban it until it becomes a real problem, then I'm sure he will fix it. 

Or just like any fad, we can hope that by next August, everyone is sick of Twitter, and bored with it.