Twitter can be a great tool, but also a very dangerous place for someone who lacks a clear social filter. We’ve seen athletes get in trouble on numerous occasions over tweets that have been posted. And Twitter doesn’t even hold a candle to the trouble that can be found on Instagram. Just ask anyone from Donald Sterling to Kenny Britt.
But it’s rare that a coach faces any repercussions from a 140 character message on Twitter. Usually coaches’ Twitter accounts are restricted to bland motivational tactics and/or weird photoshops. Then there’s whatever Les Miles is up to. But now we have a case where a coach has actually resigned from an FBS program over something he tweeted.
Hans Straub, strength and conditioning coach at the University of South Florida, did not have some nice things to say about one of his former players – defensive lineman Aaron Lynch. Lynch was drafted by the 49ers in the fifth round, and Straub threw his former player under the bus.
Although it was deleted, it lives on as does every deleted tweet of some importance.
RT @CoachStraubUSF: Thought an organization with 5 SBs would have a stricter draft criteria
Clearly integrity & character are not a priority— bruce macintosh of san leandro (@theycallmeleehe) May 13, 2014
After initially being suspended, Straub offered his resignation.
Lynch may have had his issues at USF, but Straub’s tweet was not smart on many levels. Lynch being drafted is something a program like USF should want to celebrate, not denigrate. At the very least, what kind of recruiting message does it send to prospective athletes??
“Come to South Florida, where you may get drafted… and you may have your coaches talk crap about you on Twitter!”
That doesn’t sound like an environment that is very student-athlete friendly, does it? That one tweet may have cost Straub his job, and it may have cost USF future recruits as well.
[ESPN]
