Football coach temporarily bans Twitter

The coach of a college football team in Maryland temporarily banned Twitter use by his players after an opponent's player used a racial slur in a Twitter post. Towson University coach Rob Ambrose said Lehigh wide receiver Ryan Spadola's post before a game -- and subsequent suspension, forcing him to miss a playoff game -- showed how Twitter could hurt a team, The Baltimore Sun reported. After monitoring players' use of Twitter during the first few weeks of the off-season, Ambrose banned its use among players until he believes they have been educated on how to use it properly. "I took pretty drastic action," Ambrose said. "But for me, it was the cold water on the face to get their attention. This is something that needs to be talked about, because these kids can't just keep using this form of communication without really understanding how to use it." The Sun said many NCAA schools have taken steps to monitor what players say on Twitter and Facebook. But Bradley Shear, a Maryland-based lawyer and social media expert, said schools' requiring students to make public social media use or installing software to monitor it violates free speech and privacy. A group of Maryland lawmakers have introduced a bill that would forbid colleges and universities from monitoring students' social media use. Under the bill, it would be illegal to force students to make Twitter posts public or to require them to "friend" coaches or other officials on Facebook.