Social Media in Recruiting for Prospective Student-Athletes (PSAs) Tip Sheet 1. Communication Prior to NLI Signing Key Points: Prior to a PSA signing an NLI or Institution s Written Offer of Admission and/or Financial Aid, electronic correspondence may be used ONLY if the PSA has reached the permissible age to receive written communication. 2. Electronic Correspondence-General Rule a. Electronic correspondence (e.g., electronic mail, Instant Messenger, facsimiles, text messages) restrictions apply both to the PSA and the PSA s parents/legal guardians. Before a PSA has signed an NLI or the institution s written offer of admission and/or financial aid, or the institution has received his or her financial deposit in response to its offer of admission, the correspondence must be sent directly to the prospective student-athlete (or his or her parents or legal guardians) and must be private between only the sender and recipient (e.g., no use of chat rooms, message boards or posts to walls ). There are no content restrictions on attachments to electronic correspondence, except that video and audio materials may not be for recruiting purposes and may not be personalized to include a PSA s name, picture, or likeness. b. Electronic Correspondence for men s basketball and men s ice hockey may not be sent until June 15 at the conclusion of the PSA s sophomore year in high school. In sports other than men s basketball and men s ice hockey, electronic correspondence may not be sent until September 1 at the beginning of the junior year in high school. 3. Electronic Transmitted Correspondence in Basketball and Men s Ice Hockey In basketball and men's ice hockey, any type of electronically transmitted correspondence (e.g., e-mail, facsimile, instant message, text message, Snapchat, etc.) may be sent to a PSA, provided the correspondence is sent directly to the PSA (or his or her parents or legal guardians) and is private between the sender and recipient. Once a PSA signs an NLI or an institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid or after the institution receives a financial deposit from the prospective student-athlete in response to the institution's offer of admission, the institution may communicate publicly with that PSA. Electronic correspondence may be sent beginning June 15 at the conclusion of the PSA s sophomore year. 4. Electronic Correspondence in Cross Country/Track and Field, Football, Swimming and Diving a. Electronically transmitted correspondence sent to a PSA is limited to electronic mail and facsimiles. b. All other forms of electronically transmitted correspondence are prohibited until after the PSA signs an NLI or the institution s written offer of admission and/or financial aid or after the institution has Page 1 of 7
received a financial deposit in response to the institution s offer of admission. Examples of prohibited electronic correspondence include, but are not limited to text messages, instant messages, Snapchat and comments on a PSA s wall or page. 5. Electronic Transmitted Correspondence in Sports Other Than Basketball, Men s Ice Hockey, Cross Country/Track and Field, Football and Swimming and Diving In sports other than basketball, men s ice hockey, cross country/track and field, football and swimming and diving, any type of electronically transmitted correspondence (e.g., e-mail, facsimile, instant message, text message, Snapchat, etc.) may be sent to a PSA, provided the correspondence is sent directly to the prospective student-athlete (or his or her parents or legal guardians) and is private between the sender and recipient. Once a PSA signs an NLI or an institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid or after the institution receives a financial deposit from the prospective student-athlete in response to the institution's offer of admission, the institution may communicate publicly with that PSA. 6. Timing Once a PSA has signed an NLI or written offer of admission and/or financial aid, or the institution has received a financial deposit in response to an offer of admission, there are no restrictions on electronic communication. 7. Coach Initiation or Acceptance of a Request Coaches are permitted to initiate or accept a friend or follow request to a PSA (or his/her parents) through social networking sites at any time, including prior to the first permissible date to send electronic correspondence, even if the social networking site sends an automatically-generated electronic notification and no additional communication is included. 8. General Information Videos It is permissible for general informational video content related to an institution s athletics programs to appear on institutional Web sites and personal Web sites of athletics department staff members, provided such content is generally accessible to the general public (e.g., not included in a separate recruiting section) and is not created for recruiting purposes. Page 2 of 7
Facebook/Google + (Social Networking Websites) A coach may email PSA (inbox to inbox) provided the PSA is of age to receive an electronic correspondence. A coach may post general content not created for a recruiting purpose such as game scores, team updates, facility updates or generic updates regarding the coaching staff and/or team to the extent they do not mention a specific PSA. A member institution may comment publicly only to the extent of confirming its recruitment of the PSA. Not A coach may not Facebook Chat, Google + Huddle or any other form of Instant Message in the sports of cross country/track and field, football, and swimming and diving. A coach may not post a link to a permissible recruiting item per Bylaw 13.4.1-Recruiting Materials, on the wall of a PSA (Facebook), or post messages on the wall of a PSA s page, Google+ Stream prior to the PSA s signing of a NLI. A coach or institutional staff member may not comment generally about the PSA s ability or the contribution that the PSA might make to the institution s team. Facebook/Google + (Social Networking Websites) A coach or institutional staff member may write on the wall of a PSA s page. A coach or institutional staff member may comment about the PSA s ability or contribution that the PSA might make to the institution s team. Not Page 3 of 7
Twitter/Tumblr (Microblogs) A coach may publicly microblog (Tweet) or post on a social networking website, about generic information including locations visited (e.g., visit to a high school or town, attending a contest). A coach or institutional staff member may make general comments regarding recruiting (e.g., Verbal commitments are rolling in every day ). A coach or institutional staff member may send a Direct Message to a PSA provided the PSA is of age to receive an email. A coach or institutional staff member may talk about personal daily activities (e.g., Reading the paper then heading out to work. ) A coach or institutional staff member may insert a hyperlink on a page which connects to most website (e.g., institutional athletic website). Not A coach may not publicize the recruitment of a particular PSA in a manner inconsistent with the legislation (e.g., post the name, nickname or other personally identifiable information of the PSA) unless it is in response to an inquiry by the media to confirm recruitment of a PSA. A coach or institutional staff member may not use the @Reply function on a PSA s page. This includes mentions, and wall-to-wall Facebook Communication. A coach or institutional staff member may not mention a PSA s name or comment on the PSA s athletic or academic performance. A coach or institutional staff member may not post or retweet a link to an article that mentions PSA s in a manner not consistent with publicity legislation (e.g., article announcing PSA s verbal commitment). A coach or institutional staff member may not instruct a PSA to sign-up for updates via textmessage. A coach or institutional staff member may not insert a hyperlink on a page which connects to a website involving recruiting/scouting service, high school publication or website designed for recruiting. Twitter/Tumblr (Microblogs) A coach or institutional staff member may use the @Reply function. A coach or institutional staff member may mention a PSA s name or comment on the PSA s athletic or academic performance. @Reply Not Page 4 of 7
Instagram A coach or institutional staff member may post a photo on Instagram. There are no age restrictions on PSA s following coaches. Not A coach or institutional staff member may not alter the content of photos (this may include, but is not limited to, adding the name of a recruit to the back of a jersey). This does not include Instagram s filters as content alteration. A coach or institutional staff member may not repost a PSA s Instagram photo, comment, or like a picture from a PSA. Instagram A coach or institutional staff member may repost a PSA s Instagram photo, comment, or like a picture from the PSA. Not Page 5 of 7
All Social Networking Websites and Microblogs Institutions may photograph a PSA during a campus visit but may not use the photograph of an individual PSA until the PSA has signed an NLI or the institution s written offer of admission and/or financial aid. It is permissible to post a photograph that includes PSA s as long as none of the PSA s are identifiable (e.g., wide-view photo of soccer field with campers in action but faces and names are not clearly visible). Athletics department staff can send electronically transmitted correspondence to a PSA using a service that permits a private message to be sent between the sender and recipient in a manner comparable to traditional email (e.g., Twitter Direct Message, Google +Messenger, Facebook email feature). Traditional video calls are considered phone calls and are subject to phone call legislation for all PSA s. In Basketball and Men's Ice Hockey only, it is permissible for institutional staff members to use a service or software that converts electronic mail (e.g., email) sent to an institutional staff member into a text message when received by the PSA after the first permissible date for electronic communication. The correspondence must be private between the sender and recipient (e.g., no chat rooms, message boards, or wall posts). A coach and other athletics department staff member may not promote or endorse any PSA s coach or team, or an athletics facility that is primarily used by PSAs. It is permissible to friend, follow or like a recruiting/scouting service on a social networking site. Not Institutions may not use the PSA s name or photograph in any promotional items that involve the purchase or receipt of commercial advertising (e.g., season-ticket advertisement in newspaper or on a billboard or website). An institutional staff member may not post a photo of PSA taken during an institutional camp to the staff member s microblog, personal website or institutional website. All other electronically transmitted correspondence through other services or applications remain impermissible, including those that may be publicly directed to a specific individual and are accessible to other users of the service or application (e.g., Twitter @Replies, or mentions, Facebook wall-to-wall feature). This also would include @replies on pictures on Instagram. A coach or institutional staff member may not use a service or software to convert email into a text message when received by a PSA. Texting services with video capabilities such as Glide, present opportunities for delayed send and response. This application would fall under 13.4.1.2 (Electronic Transmissions) which is a prohibited electronically transmitted correspondence. A coach or institutional staff member may not tweet or post about a PSA that may be seen by followers or members of the public. It is not be permissible to directly reference the profile of a recruiting/scouting service, share, post or retweet without violating the prohibition against endorsing a recruiting/scouting service. Page 6 of 7
All Social Networking Websites and Microblogs If a PSA signs an NLI with another institution it is permissible to call or send a note to congratulate the PSA for signing his or her NLI with the other institution. This exchange must be timely, but no sooner than the day after the PSA signs the NLI, and must not be more than the congratulatory dialogue. A coach or institutional staff member may Tweet or post about a PSA that may be seen by followers or members of the public. A coach or institutional staff member may send electronically transmitted correspondence to a PSA or his/her parents or legal guardians. Not If a PSA signs an NLI with another institution, any contact in excess of an exchange of a greeting would result in an NLI Recruiting Ban Violation regardless of the conversation. Please reference ALL applicable NCAA legislation posted on LSDBi including, but not limited to: 13.1.6.2 (f)- Contact at Practice or Competition Site 13.4.1 Recruiting Materials- General Rule 13.4.1.1 Exception-Men s Basketball 13.4.1.4 Electronic Transmissions 13.4.1.4.1 Exception Basketball and Men s Ice Hockey 13.4.1.4.2 Exception-Electronic Transmissions After Commitment 13.10.2.1 Comments Before Commitment 13.10.2.4 Prospective Student-Athlete s Visit March 14, 2007 Official Interp- Content of Athletics Department Staff Members Personal Web Sites and Nonathletics Institutional Web Sites December 12, 2012 Educational Column- Recruiting-Electronic Transmissions-Social Networking Websites and Microblogs December 5, 2013 Staff Interpretation- Friend or Follow Requests on a Social Networking Site February 10, 2014 Educational Column- Electronic Transmissions, Social Media Platforms and Recruiting Proposal 2013-25-A Recruiting Initial Date for Communication and In-Person Contact Proposal 2013-26 Recruiting- Initial Date for Communication-No Limits on Communication- Sports Other than Basketball, Cross Country/Track and Field, Football, and Swimming and Diving Proposal 2013-27- Recruiting Materials and Electronic Correspondence Page 7 of 7