Social networking ban the idea of the seniors |
CLEMSON – Twitter has become a distraction and a point of controversy for many athletes in the last few months, and with that in mind the Clemson seniors decided this past week on a social media ban for the 2012 season.
Clemson players started tweeting late Thursday evening after they reported to fall camp that they were saying goodbye to such social media icons as Twitter and Facebook and telling their fans that they would reconnect in January when the season is over. Consider how Twitter has caused controversy in just the last week – Olympic athletes have been sent home for insensitive tweets and a Florida St. defensive back has the police looking into tweets he sent out quoting song lyrics about “killing cops” – and a social media ban isn’t a bad idea. Seminole head coach Jimbo Fisher immediately put a ban on Twitter for his players for the season, something that Clemson head coach
Dabo Swinney The players did it for him. “To me the best leadership comes from within,” Swinney said after Friday night’s practice. “I thought last year’s team had a good group of leaders. This year there are only 11 seniors, but they are a dynamic group of men. They actually brought that to me in the spring and I told them to let me think about it and we’d revisit it at camp. Yesterday we met and talked through it again and it was just something that everybody was in agreement about. “You look around and you have people getting kicked out of the Olympics because of Twitter. It’s a good, useful tool if it’s used the right way. But you take an 18-to-22 year old young person, and they have 30,000 followers, and it’s just one more distraction. It’s one more thing, one more obligation. We aren’t going to participate in that during the season. The players brought that to me in the spring and I certainly supported it.” Tiger quarterback
Tajh Boyd “It is definitely a distraction,” Boyd said. “And for me after each game, especially a big game, I would be like, ‘how many followers do I have?’ Comments from other people and other teams are things that we don’t need right now on our journey. I think one of the things that we can learn and grow from last year is taking care of all of the distractions possible. I think it is going to help us in the long run.” Boyd drew the ire of South Carolina for supposed tweets before the rivalry game last year, something he says he didn’t do. “I didn’t tweet anything [before the South Carolina game]. The first time I heard of it was when one of their boys hit me up and was like, ‘stop tweeting about us.’ I didn’t know anything about it,” he said. “Holly Rowe [of ESPN] sent me a message after the game and asked if I really tweeted about them and that’s the first time that I knew what was really going on. I definitely didn’t send out a tweet. It happens like that because of how big social media is these days- Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. I don’t even have a Facebook anymore. There are a couple of accounts out there that are fake. Twitter and Instagram are the big things for us.” Senior center
Dalton Freeman “The seniors brought it up to him, but ultimately it was his decision,” Freeman said. “We told him that we were for it and that we wanted it gone.” ATTENTION FOLLOWERS!!!!: this WILL be my last tweet until the Nation BCS Football Game is won( SERIOUS)!!! 
Dabo Swinney
Head Coach
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didn’t have to do. 
Tajh Boyd
RS Jr. Quarterback
#10 6-1, 225
Hampton, VA
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agreed with Swinney, and said that both Twitter and Facebook can be a distraction, especially with so many fans clamoring for attention.
Dalton Freeman
RS Sr. Offensive Line
#55 6-5, 285
Pelion, SC
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said the seniors definitely wanted the ban, but let Swinney make the final decision.
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#Clemson #StrivingForGreatness
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