NCAA updates ruling on social networking websites with regard to athletic recruiting

On July 24, 2008, the NCAA decided that it needed to update their policy with regards to social networking websites.  With sites like Facebook and MySpace so popular, it is not very difficult for a college coach to find a potential recruit through that system.  That would then make it extremely easy to contact them, especially early in their prep career, to make sure that the recruit knows the college is interested.

But the NCAA has put together a new rule with regards to these sites.  What is interesting it that it is legal for college coaches to be a “friend” of a recruit on one of the sites but they cannot post on their wall about anything.  The only correspondence that they may have is through the private email/message feature on the site and that must be after September 1st of their junior year in high school.

For those curious, here is what the NCAA says about this new rule and what can and cannot happen with college coaches and high school athletes on these social networking sites:

NCAA Division I institutions should note that pursuant to NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.4.1.2 an institution may send electronically transmitted correspondence to a prospective student-athlete beginning September 1 at the beginning of the prospective student-athlete’s junior year in high school. Further, electronically transmitted correspondence that may be sent to a prospective student-athlete is limited to electronic mail (e-mail) and facsimiles until after the calendar day on which a prospective student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent. All other forms of electronically transmitted correspondence (e.g., Instant Messenger, text messaging) are prohibited.

Institutions should note that e-mail is not limited to a traditional e-mail service provided by an institution, Web site or Internet service provider. Therefore, it is permissible for an athletics department staff member to send electronically transmitted correspondence to a prospective student-athlete using a social networking Web site’s (e.g., MySpace, Facebook) e-mail feature. All other electronically transmitted correspondence including, but not limited to, text messaging, Instant Messenger, chat rooms or message boards (e.g., a user’s wall) within a social networking Web site or through other services or applications remain impermissible.

For example, a coaching staff member with a MySpace or Facebook account may send electronically transmitted correspondence to a prospective student-athlete’s MySpace or Facebook account using the e-mail inbox feature located on that user’s profile page. However, a coaching staff member may not send electronic correspondence to a prospective student-athlete via the comments feature on MySpace or the wall-to-wall feature on Facebook.

Institutions should also note that in accordance with Bylaw 13.10.2, before the signing of a prospective student-athlete to a National Letter of Intent or an institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid, a member institution may comment publicly only to the extent of confirming its recruitment of the prospective student-athlete. The institution may not comment generally about the prospective student-athlete’s ability or the contribution that the prospective student-athlete might make to the institution’s team; further, the institution is precluded from commenting in any manner as to the likelihood of the prospective student-athlete’s signing with that institution.

Accordingly, it is permissible for a prospective student-athlete’s name and/or picture to appear on an athletics department staff member’s profile page of a social networking Web site to identify the prospective student-athlete as a “friend” of the athletics department staff member. Institutions should note that the identification of the prospective student-athlete as a “friend” on an athletics staff members profile page confirms only the institution’s potential recruitment of that individual. However, institutions are reminded they may not make any public comments about the prospective student-athlete’s ability, the contribution that the prospective student-athlete might make to the institution’s team or the likelihood of the prospective student-athlete’s signing with that institution.