Bigger issues loom
The University of Idaho athletic department and Vandal football team has experienced its fair share of woes this season. Within the last week, Idaho terminated head coach Robb Akey’s contract and quarterback Dominique Blackman and linebacker Conrad Scheidt were dismissed for violating team rules. The Vandals’ record is a dismal 1-7 with four games remaining, and Idaho has no conference to play in next season.
It would seem UI Director of Athletics Rob Spear has more pressing worries than monitoring the lackluster football team’s adherence to the athletic department’s social media policy guidelines. However, tight end Taylor Elmo has been suspended from the team for “violating athletic department policy,” including criticizing Spear’s decision to fire Akey in a tweet which has since been deleted.
“U of idaho is stupid as hell for what they did,” he tweeted. “Fire a man to keep your own job???”
Interim head coach Jason Gesser said in Monday’s weekly news conference that Elmo’s suspension was the result of “a handful of things that started leading up to that point” and his tweet “was one of the things that kind of tipped our hand to say ‘you know what, you have to get your stuff together.’” Gesser did not expand on what the other “things” were.
Every UI student athlete signs a contract promising to follow the athletic department’s social media guidelines. If an athlete’s profile is considered inappropriate, the athletic department can punish them. Punishment can include suspension and dismissal from their respective team.
The policy includes guidelines such as posting photos, videos and comments that are of a sexual nature or posting comments, videos or posters degrading coaches or other athletic department personnel.
Elmo’s suspension is validated according to the athletic department’s social media policy, which he signed a contract to obey, regardless of the fact that it is a violation of his First Amendment right to dissent. The problem lies in the inconsistency with which the policy has been enforced.
Football players who tweet derogatory sexual remarks or photos of alcoholic beverages are also violating the athletic department’s social media policy. Tweets like that are far more offensive than Elmo’s remark, which is lost in the mass of hundreds of people criticizing Spear in the last week.
As a public figure, Spear should recognize he is subject to a higher level of scrutiny and criticism. One player’s tweet expressing his personal belief about the firing of his coach should not even register on Spear’s radar, especially when hundreds of fans are expressing the same opinion in less subtle terms.
And censoring players’ social media accounts is a petty concern in the midst of the mess that is Idaho’s football team.
— EE
Tags: Our View
This whole thing makes me realize the way this all has been handled was far more personal than it was professional. I guess it’s nice someone can hide behind a title and attack someone for personal reasons and call it a decision that’s best for the U of I athletic dept. and when someone makes honest comments out of frustration they get suspended. Way to go! If Rob Spear would have kept Coach Akey and let him finish the year while knowing they would be looking for and hiring a new coach and Coach Akey would be done after football season would have seemed less personal and a whole lot more professional, unless it was all about the money.
Why are we making excuses for Elmo? Clearly there have been other violations/problems that have not yet been named and if violating the social media policy was the last straw, then so be it.
Everyone is acting like this is an outrage despite the fact that it is common at almost every D1 school, including WSU and BSU. When you sign a contract, you need to follow it–especially when your receiving a scholarship!
I’m not going to sit around and mope about Akey being fired and “bad apples” finally getting kicked of the team/suspended. We’re all Vandals and we need to stop fighting each other and instead rally together to support the teams we love and breathe, win or lose.
GO VANDALS!!
Since I started here at the University of Idaho I have been utterly unimpressed by our athletics department (read: football team). Our football program is made up of, in my opinion and observations, a bunch of “thugs” who can’t seem to get many things right other than their “pimp walk.” I really hope that they don’t get any funding out of my tuition and that it goes to some other team that deserves it, like tennis.