Urban Meyer is a smart guy. You know that. I know. My 95-year-old grandma who thinks “Urban Meyer” is a brand of hot dog knows that.
And now the world knows it too. That’s because Meyer is doing something that every college football coach in America should at least consider: Not allowing his players to Tweet.
The news spread virally this afternoon, via what platform other than Twitter, when a handful of current Buckeyes took to their keyboards, to announce their departure from the Twitter world. Effective at the end of the day, you can either own a Twitter account or play football for Ohio State. But not both.
Here are a few of the sample tweets, from the sources themselves, the Buckeyes players:
From tight end Reid Fragel: New staff new rules. No more twitter, not a big deal and probably for the better. Love our fans, love this place. Go Bucks #2012
From wide receiver Evan Spencer: This is my last day on twitter…
And from Buckeyes star tight end Jake Stonenburner, who used his final tweet to get two announcements out in one: Twitter=Done. Me=back for senior year, leading this team, and shocking the world!! #gobucks #12-0
Simply put, it’s the right move for a program looking to rebuild not only its football team, but its image.
As you all know by now, it’s been a tough 12 or so months for the former Big Ten super-power. A scandal involving players receiving free tattoos and other benefits cost head coach Jim Tressel his job, star quarterback Terrelle Pryor his scholarship, and the program its reputation. An NCAA investigation revealed that eight players received $14,000 in extra benefits, and because of it, the Buckeyes won’t be playing in the postseason next year. That was on top of one of the most disappointing on the field seasons in years, which ended on January 2 with a bowl loss to Florida.
Enter Urban Meyer.
Whether the new coach is making the ban specifically for this reason alone, to me, it seems like the right move. With a new coach, and upwards of 80 players that he didn’t recruit, Meyer doesn’t know exactly what he’s inheriting, but rather than finding out the hard way (with one, dumb, 140 character message), he’s cutting off the head of the dragon before any opportunity presents itself.
And given the liberal use of Twitter by everyone (not just athletes), this could be the best decision Meyer has ever made.
By now you know the horror stories of how one, 140 character tweet can get people in all sorts of trouble. It happened when Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall made inappropriate comments about Osama bin Laden earlier this year, and also happened earlier this week when Tennessee Vols wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers mentioned how recruits were bailing ship on the program. Needless to say, that didn’t go over well with some of the Vols family.
Hell, Twitter even indirectly started the whole downfall of Ohio State’s football program last winter. As you may remember, when word of the tattoo scandal first broke, it was Pryor who tried to squelch the rumors on Twitter, and said “I paid for my tattoos. GoBucks.”
Yeah, umm, apparently not Terrelle. The Sugar Bowl was the final game Pryor ever played in a Buckeyes uniform.
Granted, there’s obviously no guarantee that this act alone will end all foolishness in Columbus. Far from it. There are still plenty of other platforms for players to get their own opinions or anger out, and chances are, at some point, someone will.
But for now, this is a start.
For a program that might’ve been lacking a little internal discipline in the past, this could be exactly what they needed.
For all his opinion, analysis and articles on college football, please follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres.
