That, via MSNBC's Darren Rovell, is a fictitious example from the NCAA's new player handbook of what not to do on Twitter and other social media – namely, give away information (such as injuries) that might assist gamblers in their nefarious schemes to profit off the hard work and unsullied competitive zeal of amateur student-athletes.
The handbook is part of the Association's "Don't Bet On It" initiative to curb gambling on college sports, especially by athletes themselves. (The NCAA claimed in a 2003 survey that 35 percent of male student-athletes reported wagering on sports.) Because gambling, like most activities in the eyes of the NCAA that don't involve a) School, b) Community service, or c) Seamlessly morphing into an airline pilot in midair, is bad, mmmkay?
I'm not aware of a single case yet of a player personally offering late-breaking injury news via Twitter, Facebook or any other social media tool. On the other hand, they can still offer injury updates to coaches, who subsequently relay them to reporters, who put them on the air and in news stories for inclusion in meticulously compiled databases – you know, for "when you have to know," because you care so deeply for their personal well-being. I'll keep an eye out, though.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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