The role of universities in monitoring the social media activity of student-athletes was examined by the N.Y. TIMES' Pete Thamel, who wrote the "debate on college campuses mirrors the larger conversation throughout the country over how much access to personal online activities private individuals can be compelled to give to employers.” University administrators “face a tricky situation when it comes to their players’ activity on social media, balancing issues of privacy while trying to guard against the possibility that an errant posting on Twitter or Facebook could result in trouble for an athlete or the athletic department.” The business plan of companies like Varsity Monitor, which charges universities $7,000-10,000 a year to monitor their athletes. The companies search social media sites “that athletes frequent, looking for obscenities, offensive commentary or words like ‘free,’ which could indicate that a player has accepted a gift in violation” of NCAA rules. Some colleges “require athletes to give them access” to their Facebook or Twitter accounts, but some wonder “where should the line be drawn?" Thamel: "Can colleges monitor athletes without being invasive? And is it legal for a university to require that a student make his private information available?” Some college officials “are uncomfortable with the notion of monitoring their athletes on social media, be it public or private content.” Univ. of Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick: “If the university is going to screen all students or all prospective students or everyone that’s applied, we’ll engage in that with the university. I can’t foresee a time where they would.” Univ. of Florida AD Jeremy Foley said his department contracted with UDiligence to monitor only the Gators’ football players. Foley: “I’m not a big believer that it’s our responsibility to monitor that 24-7. If there’s an issue, we’ll deal with it. We’re trying to run a business here. We’re not trying to be Big Brother” (N.Y. TIMES, 3/31).
