Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Jan 16, 2017 7:43:21 GMT -6
This is the reply I received from our compliance officer about social media contacts
"Recruiting rules are tricky and they get even more messy with social media these days. The basic rule is this, ACU coaches are the only ones that may be involved in contacting potential recruits. As such, representative of athletics interests (booster, alums, etc.) are not permitted to use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram to contact and recruit prospective student athletes (9-12th graders). This would include posting on a recruits wall, including them in @ replies/mentions, and direct messaging them. There have been reported NCAA violations in the past at other institutions where several boosters contacted potential recruits on social media and inappropriately encouraged them to attend the school. This type of communication is normally done with good intentions, however, it is prohibited by the NCAA.
The general rule of thumb that we always share with everyone (including our own athletics staff) is that it's ok to click but not type. You can like/favorite/retweet recruits' posts on any social media site but as soon as some sort of comment is added then it becomes impermissible contact and recruiting of the prospect. The safest thing to do is to stay clear of making any comments and sticking to liking and retweeting posts generated by PSAs. "
I, along with several of you, have apparently violated this rule. It is a rule that is rarely or almost never enforced but it is never the less a rules violation and could result in NCAA sanctions. I received a message from a fan about this rule yesterday. I checked a couple of Tweets I made yesterday after recruits had announced they have received an offer from ACU. The Athletic Director and a number of coaches liked or retweeted my Tweets, so the rule is such that not even those in athletic administration know it is a no-no.
Please heed this warning and stay away from prospective student athletes via social media or through direct contact.
"Recruiting rules are tricky and they get even more messy with social media these days. The basic rule is this, ACU coaches are the only ones that may be involved in contacting potential recruits. As such, representative of athletics interests (booster, alums, etc.) are not permitted to use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram to contact and recruit prospective student athletes (9-12th graders). This would include posting on a recruits wall, including them in @ replies/mentions, and direct messaging them. There have been reported NCAA violations in the past at other institutions where several boosters contacted potential recruits on social media and inappropriately encouraged them to attend the school. This type of communication is normally done with good intentions, however, it is prohibited by the NCAA.
The general rule of thumb that we always share with everyone (including our own athletics staff) is that it's ok to click but not type. You can like/favorite/retweet recruits' posts on any social media site but as soon as some sort of comment is added then it becomes impermissible contact and recruiting of the prospect. The safest thing to do is to stay clear of making any comments and sticking to liking and retweeting posts generated by PSAs. "
I, along with several of you, have apparently violated this rule. It is a rule that is rarely or almost never enforced but it is never the less a rules violation and could result in NCAA sanctions. I received a message from a fan about this rule yesterday. I checked a couple of Tweets I made yesterday after recruits had announced they have received an offer from ACU. The Athletic Director and a number of coaches liked or retweeted my Tweets, so the rule is such that not even those in athletic administration know it is a no-no.
Please heed this warning and stay away from prospective student athletes via social media or through direct contact.