The NCAA this week brought into effect its updated social media rules for the new season, and athletic now coaches can like and favorite the posts of recruits – although the thumbs-up emoji is still banned.
The changes are intended to relax the rules on coaches publicly interacting with prospects on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but it still sounds complicated.
NCAA proposal 2015-48, dubbed the “click, don’t type” rule, took effect on Monday: “An athletics department staff member may take actions (eg “like”, “favorite”, republish, “tag”, etc) on social media platforms that indicate approval of content on social media platforms that was generated by users of the platforms other than institutional staff members or representatives of an institution’s athletics interests.”
So likes and retweets are fine, and as long as the coach doesn’t say anything in the associated click, it’s OK. But coaches still aren’t allowed to respond to, tweet at, or reply to prospects – or give them encouraging emojis, at least publicly. (DMs are fine.) However, at least coaches no longer have to pretend that their relationships with recruits don’t exist.
Some coaches got to work immediately. The Palm Beach Post reported: “After the clock struck 1 August, [Miami football coach Mark] Richt’s account retweeted Miami-themed tweets from five prospects of Hurricanes interest.” All but one player are public UM commits.
Some of the tweets Richt shared with followers were recent, but others dated back to March.
I'm officially committed to the U‼️ #ForGood 💯💯💯💯🙌🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/fNyJYInmXy
— R.I.P. Gotti (@KosiPerry) March 19, 2016
The NCAA also amended its rules on when a school’s staff member can attend a funeral.
Previously, the NCAA limited coaches or administrators to attending the funerals of “immediate” family, but the new rule permits attendance at a funeral for any family member. But schools are limited to spending $100 on a charity donation – although they can provide “other reasonable tokens of support (eg flowers, card) in the event of the death of the prospective student-athlete or the death or life-threatening injury or illness of a member of the prospective student-athlete’s family.”
