Coaches at Northwestern University are urging their athletes to abstain from using Facebook and MySpace in the wake of a hazing scandal that erupted after a student posted incriminating photos online.
Northwestern officials suspended the women’s soccer team after a Web site published pictures purporting to show a hazing ritual. Shortly thereafter, coaches of other campus squads met to discuss how they could prevent further embarrassment to the university. The coaches agreed that they can’t keep student-athletes from opening up online, but many of them have begun encouraging students to take down any potentially revealing photos that may have been left untended on the Web.
An unnamed campus official told the Daily Northwestern that the coaches’ meeting was not a response to the hazing scandal. But with other tales of student-athlete misbehavior—including rape allegations at Duke University—gaining nationwide publicity, campus athletic departments may be feeling especially motivated to teach students about the importance of online discretion. (The Daily Northwestern)
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