Free speech is a hallmark of the collegiate experience. Athletes are not droids programmed to run, jump, catch, and smash. At least they should not be. Athletes, like anyone, should use good taste and decorum when speaking publicly, but these are not toddlers that should be "seen, but not heard."

Given the spotlight that some college athletes have, coaches should mentor the athletes to speak responsibly. Still, they need to be taught that is acceptable to speak out in a collegial way. The dominant ideology in college sports it seems is for the coaches to think that the athletes might embarrass the program (which means the coach) if they speak out. That leads to an outright ban on saying anything beyond PR speak. That is not the way education works. Coaches have to TEACH the athletes how to DO something correctly. Unfortunately, I can understand why coaches do what they do because they generally are not hired or evaluated on their teaching/mentorship ability.

I like that some collegiate coaches have decided to ban social network usage by their players. While there are both positives and negatives to the use of social networks, the negatives are what leave a lasting impression. A lot of times, especially with Twitter, people put their thoughts down before taking the time to think about the consequences or repercussions. By collegiate coaches banning this usage, they are saving themselves, the schools and their student-athletes possible embarassment and/or trouble.

Student-athletes should be allowed to have any social media account they like. The schools also have the right to determine what the policies are for the use of these social media platforms when discussing their athletic careers.

However, I don't see the harm in athletes in general discussing their careers. For example, Carter's tweet about his suspension and his support of his teammates is great - it really makes you see that these players are real students, real people.

Williams' tweet was ill-advised, but that "outing" of the coach wasn't a social media issue, but a communications issue.

That's what teams (both pro and college) often miss - these tools are just another communications platform. It's not the tool, it's the message. They can be used to great advantage, but they also need to be managed just like every other communications channel. It's a mistake to ban them completely; instead determine the appropriate use, just like media interviews, conversations with friends, etc.