Still on probation until May 2010 because of former coach Kelvin Sampson’s recruiting violations involving hundreds of impermissible phone calls, Oklahoma has beefed up its compliance and enforcement efforts by issuing a policy that defines appropriate behavior on the Internet for athletes. The policy covers social-networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, and the university can punish violators as it would for other rules violations. CBSSports.com reports on the types of punishments that athletes could face.
In the social networking policy, athletes are warned that their postings must comply with a code of conduct and can be punishable with education, counseling, suspension or expulsion and with the reduction or cancellation of financial aid. It warns athletes not to post pictures that would portray them negatively nor post contact information that agents or their runners could use to put the athletes’ eligibility in jeopardy.
“‘Partying,’ ‘drinking,’ and ‘getting wasted’ do not qualify as real hobbies or interests,” the policy warns.
