Tweetgate: Recruits receive offers from Norvell’s account
CAMPUS CORNER — Curious case this morning involving Oklahoma receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell and a handful of 2013 recruits.
The following six high school players — all top-flight receivers with myriad offers — received tweets from Norvell’s Twitter account …
Ahmad Fulwood – WR, Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Uriah LeMay – WR, Butler (Matthews, N.C.)
James Quick – WR, Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
Demarcus Robinson – WR, Peach County (Fort Valley, Ga.)
Rashaad Samples – WR, Dallas Skyline
Ricky Seals-Jones – WR, Sealy (Texas)
Each of the six received this stock message: “This is Coach Jay Norvell from Oklahoma. Cel (405) 431-XXXX Would like to offer you a Full Scholarship to Oklahoma. Call me!”
Seals-Jones was told about a March 4 Junior Day: “(W)e would like you to come and spend the day with us at OU!”
Samples was told “(w)e have to get you a new picture for you (sic) Twitter account. BOOMer!”
Robinson was told “we have the best Offense in the country for a WR Here at OU!” And: “We want you to be a Sooner!”
As I understand it, since it’s a “quiet” period until April, the tweets would be a secondary violation. The DMs would have been, as well, but … well … they’re discrete. These messages are not.
Samples is the only player I’ve seen that has responded. He first wondered if Norvell’s account was hacked, but now that message is gone. He then said the offer was legitimate, but I don’t see that one now, either.
All that’s left is this: “I hope coach Norvell don’t get in trouble man.” And: “Man that’s messed up if he get in trouble over that … Smh.”
All the tweets are things coaches practically would say in the course of recruiting. There’s no reason to believe Norvell’s account was hacked, other than the tweets were public instead of private. (I haven’t made that mistake, personally, but I know a lot of people who have.) I’m assuming Norvell, either way, will be getting a new cell number.
Embarrassing for Norvell, OU, no matter how it’s sliced. The perils of social media, I suppose.
Here are screen caps of the tweets, courtesy SBNation.
Norvell tweets?
= Trav
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Comments
What are the rules with Tweets…how much social media is regulated? linkden? Facebook, google whatever? E-mails? Texts? REALLY? How is a Tweet different from a text message? Tweets can be much shorter. We don’t need another Kelvin Sampson…actually, the NCAA needs to come into the 21st century…communication is much different than it was 50 years ago…limit visitations coming and going, limit phone calls, including voicemails…but the rest of this stuff is kind of like banning advertising from the Internet…limits and bans serve no purpose but to get folks into trouble…
“Tweeting is permissible as long as coaches are not using it to contact individual prospective student-athletes”
http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Issues/Recruiting/Social+Media+and+Recruiting
I think he was just doing something he has always done. He didn’t think it was going to be any big deal. The problem is he got caught. This isn’t like a slime ball coach going to a junior’s high school and just happening to bump into him. That was a violation but you can always say; I was just at this high school and we just happened to meet in the hallway. There is no proof you have the coach is lying. You know he is you just can’t prove it. When you email, tweet, or whatever there is a papertrail, even if it is electronic paper. The problem with this is it will allow the NCAA to investigate EVERYTHING at OU. They will find plenty to investigate even if they are minor and the coaches didn’t mean to break the rules. It is that way at all big programs. So look out for more to follow on this.
Well from the information provided in the article, it doesn’t make any sense, because these guys already had scholarship offers from ou. So why would he send them a message with a scholarship offer, as if he didn’t have any contact info, to all of the WRs. It doesn’t seem very plausible and points to something else going on all together.
Coaches can use facebook and twitter to contact players directly but cannot make a public post to them or referring to them. It wasn’t hacked. The dude just messed up. Maybe he clicked the wrong button or forgot a setting on his tweet. It’s a a 2nd degree infraction which isn’t that serious but enough to get on the NCAA’s radar. Just hope it doesn’t happen again anytime soon.
Well what the tweet,the receivers he puts on the field can”t catch any way when the game is on the line.We would of been better with second string receivers,at least we would of had an excuse.So maybe he did click the wrong button he’s been doing it ever since our ace receiver whent down.So what the tweet he’s a better running backs coach,and thats where he ought to be.So lets just hope that tweet isn’t loud enough to be heard,nobody listens anyway.
Chris you posted what makes this a big deal. It gives the NCAA reason to start opening opening doors and finding other violations. All schools are guilty of violations, bend the rules to some extent and the NCAA investigates only whom they choose to. Due to the politics involved at this level don’t be surprised if they don’t go through our program with fine toothed comb going back several years. Generally somebody is pushing for a school to be investigated and the trail leads back to somebody with weight and important that is a supporter of another school in the conference. Let’s hope this goes away.
Can you say UT? Notice they almost NEVER are investigated…..when is the last time the Horns were on the radar?
Let’s hope this does not amount to anything serious and that this is some sort of fabricated joke. This smells a little fishy. You would hope and think a coach at this level would not do anything ignorant to hurt the program. Does anybody know the legalities if this if it is true and how it would effect us?? I’m still uneasy about the coaching changes and it all fell together as if it had all been coordinated after Mike was let go. Was it all packaged before the season had ended?? It was all too ironic and strange. The level of intensity, tension between coaches. attitude of players, and certain players that had seen playing time never stepped on the field again. This all began after Mike was released. It very well could be coincidental but the timing of BV leaving and how quickly, conveniently the new coaching personnel was thrown together or added makes one speculate.