Apparently in an effort to snip anymore Terrelle Pryor/tattoo-gate debacle that sank the career of Jim Tressel, incoming Ohio State football coach, Urban Meyer, has decided to implement a Twitter ban for his players.
Again, the surprise is this isn’t a more common approach from coaches, especially ones from big time college programs that receive a bulk of the media coverage, as every move of their players gets scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb. Apparently, for every Steve Alford and Urban Meyer, there’s a John Calipari, a coach who gives his players just enough rope to hang themselves.
As for Meyer, there will be no self-hanging on his watch, at least not from his players and not on Twitter:
@rollerCD
Rob OllerUrban Meyer bans Twitter for #Buckeyes players. Scarlet & Gray Matter, however, remains safely outside the #OhioState clutches.
1 hour ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto
For those who may not know, Rob Oller is a sports columnist for the Columbus Dispatch, so if he says Meyer banned Twitter from Ohio State players, you can pretty much take it as gospel.
There’s little doubt Meyer’s decision came directly from the Jim Tressel/Terrelle Pryor tattoo hubbub, a situation that cost Tressel his job. For an idea of the kind of tweets that can cost a successful coach his job, read more about Pryor’s tattoo fun here. Sports Illustrated is also a good source for those of you wondering why Meyer would issue such an edict. Here’s an example:
Amid accusations that several Ohio State football players had traded signed memorabilia for tattoos and other favors from the owner of a local tattoo parlor, the Buckeyes quarterback made the following clarification: I paid for my tattoos. GoBucks Shortly after, Pryor and four teammates were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. He officially withdrew from the university in June after the resignation of head coach Jim Tressel.
With that in mind, Meyer’s decision makes perfect sense.
Of course, considering how Will Hill’s Twitter account was used under Meyer’s watch at Florida, the new Ohio State coach probably didn’t need any further motivation to ban his new team from the social networking platform.