Buy Or Sell: Steelers Should Be Policing Players’ Social Media Civility

[polamalubeast]

Earlier this week ...

[Mojouw]

Should your workplace police your social media accounts?

Same answer here.

I realize I am in a vanishingly small minority, but why is the discussion so one-sided? If a player drags a teammate, the organization, the opponent, or a reporter on any social media there is an instant negative outcry. What about these reporters and other NFL "pundits"? If Kaboly (or anyone really - he is just an easy target) wants to come hard at a player for whatever the reason; then they should be prepared for the player to come back at them just as hard. Why don't reporters/social media NFL talkers get just as much crying over their actions?

If you can't take it, don't dish it out. Wasn't that the rule we were all taught?

Further, this message board and the Steelers internet in general is very focused on "drama" and the idea that this leads to negative outcomes on the field. Assume that to be true. But what about reporter and fan created drama? Terrell Edmunds had to spend how much time dealing with his "likes" or whatever. That was totally created by external to the team reactions to his social media accounts. Blogs, the internet, and Twitter created "drama" where there was none. But it always gets placed back on the player solely. What about the instantaneous reactions by outside observers that took a little thing and amplified it through a megaphone of nonsense until it became a thing? How is that almost never talked about?

Another prime example is how no one on the Steelers was really publicly addressing or talking about Bell last season. Then after enduring days and days of the same questions over and over again from media (traditional and social) the locker room broke down and dragged the guy. But that was only talked about as how the locker room lost control and whatever whatever. There are two sides engaging in the same activities here. What is good for the goose is good for the gander...I dunno. It is all pretty silly. Grown men on all sides worrying about things that should've been left at middle school dances.

[Six Rings]

Buy! Outside of a player coming back form an injury, personal tragedy, or working hard on a social issue, can some one tell me one good thing that ever came out of a NFL player on social media?

The Steelers should police it. No politics. No taking shots at other players. Oh, and #84 is the waterboy this year.

[polamalubeast]

I do not think a team got into trouble like the steelers on social media since the facebook live incident by Antonio Brown.

Yes it happen that other teams are put in trouble a little on twitter, but not like steelers with Brown, Bryant, Bell, etc .... Yes his players are gone, but steelers need to be more disciplined on twitter and the steelers need rules by Tomlin.

[Six Rings]

I do not think a team got into trouble like the steelers on social media since the facebook live incident by Antonio Brown.

Yes it happen that other teams are put in trouble a little on twitter, but not like steelers with Brown, Bryant, Bell, etc .... Yes his players are gone, but steelers need to be more disciplined on twitter and the steelers need rules by Tomlin.

Tomlin wasn't able to control AB or Bell. New players, if they have some talent have a green light to start the same crap again. I would have hired Greg Lloyd as the disciplinarian coach, and let him give Brown a warning mono y mono deep inside a room with a closed door.

[polamalubeast]

Tomlin wasn't able to control AB or Bell. New players, if they have some talent have a green light to start the same crap again. I would have hired Greg Lloyd as the disciplinarian coach, and let him give Brown a warning mono y mono deep inside a room with a closed door.

If the same crap happens again, Tomlin needs to be fired..especially if the locker room is still toxic .... you can not win with a locker room too loose.

[DesertSteel]

Should your workplace police your social media accounts?

While they may not manage them after you're hired, most employers look closely at the social media of all applicants these days before deciding to hire them.

[Six Rings]

If the same crap happens again, Tomlin needs to be fired..especially if the locker room is still toxic .... you can not win with a locker room too loose.

Agreed. Although Art Rooney II would never say it, Tomlin had an epic collapse after starting 7-2-1 for the Season. Only two teams with the type of record did not make the playoffs, and two of them had season-ending injuries to their QB's.


Now that the main distractions are gone, ( I would not chance Boswell bouncing back, but Tomlin did ) the Steelers MUST win the division. 9-7 or less without a playoff appearance, I'd opt not to issue him a new contract. Its the Steeler way of saying you're fired.

[Six Rings]

While they may not manage them after you're hired, most employers look closely at the social media of all applicants these days before deciding to hire them.

OMG, you have no idea. I manage a team if mid-level workers, most of whom are under the age of 35, so I'm involved in the process.


The company I'm with has contractors who specialise in this type of stuff, flagging social media posts that could be viewed as political, racists, drug usage, suggested violence, legal cases on record, doesn't for the corporate culture ie, too many tattoos, and more. They want to mitigate possible damage to the company as much as possible.


Then during the screening process, which disclosure is mentioned that it's being recorded ( you sign off on that or do not get the onsite interview ) and an interviewer might act like the flagged areas are okay, to see how the person they are interviewing reacts.


It can get wild if there is a good candidate with a red flag or two.


HR isn't what you think. They are as bad a lawyers, the only difference is most of them look a bit easier on the eyes.

[Mojouw]

While they may not manage them after you're hired, most employers look closely at the social media of all applicants these days before deciding to hire them.

Certainly. But that is a totally different question. It is, for example, why Bossa took down his political tweets prior to the draft.

However, I believe that what you post on social media is 90% of the time absolutely no business of your employer. If the entire Steelers roster wants to get in Twitter slap fits with Madden and Kaboly, well that sucks and is poor decision making but ultimately not something that employers need to step in and deal with.

[steelreserve]

I don't think you should police any of their social media accounts. Especially not "police" as in tell them what to avoid saying.

It can be a very useful window into whether or not you have a dumbass on your hands who is going to cause problems for you. A lot of this is information that you might not have access to otherwise, and they are volunteering it freely. So that's helpful to you.

I don't know what good anyone thinks it would do to ban players from social media or censor what they say. I mean, what do you think it's going to do? Make him NOT be a jerk to his teammates or the fans if he's a jerk in real life? Make him NOT be a douchebag with questionable character, who hangs around with people who smoke a lot of weed and get in altercations outside of nightclubs, if that's the kind of person he is in real life? Maybe if it's an extreme case like, say, Mendenhall, I'd tell him it's in his best interest to shut up, but that's about it.

I think the big thing that has people worked up about social media is not that it makes players/celebrities any different, but it knocks them off their pedestal, breaks down the fourth wall, shatters their illusions, whatever you want to call it. And yes, out of 1,500-plus players in the league, there will be HUNDREDS who are not very nice people, just by the law of averages - as well as a similar number who are as dumb as a board, and also a non-zero percentage who are just not right in the head.

[Mojouw]

I don't think you should police any of their social media accounts. Especially not "police" as in tell them what to avoid saying.

It can be a very useful window into whether or not you have a dumbass on your hands who is going to cause problems for you. A lot of this is information that you might not have access to otherwise, and they are volunteering it freely. So that's helpful to you.

I don't know what good anyone thinks it would do to ban players from social media or censor what they say. I mean, what do you think it's going to do? Make him NOT be a jerk to his teammates or the fans if he's a jerk in real life? Make him NOT be a douchebag with questionable character, who hangs around with people who smoke a lot of weed and get in altercations outside of nightclubs, if that's the kind of person he is in real life? Maybe if it's an extreme case like, say, Mendenhall, I'd tell him it's in his best interest to shut up, but that's about it.

I think the big thing that has people worked up about social media is not that it makes players/celebrities any different, but it knocks them off their pedestal, breaks down the fourth wall, shatters their illusions, whatever you want to call it. And yes, out of 1,500-plus players in the league, there will be HUNDREDS who are not very nice people, just by the law of averages - as well as a similar number who are as dumb as a board, and also a non-zero percentage who are just not right in the head.

This is basically a perfect take.

[Born2Steel]

Same situation when talking about radio shows, locker room interviews, and pressers. If you want to control what is being said and/or getting out publicly, then all of it has to be policed. So then it comes down to who's doing the policing and what THEY think needs to be censored. No slippery slope there. Did any of Harrison's work out videos on Instagram cause any of his "random" drug tests? Is just a hard-line NO Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc the answer? Is keep your interview answers yes or no the answer? OR maybe stop heaping importance on these things like they mean more than they actually do might be the answer?

[polamalubeast]

[smokin3000gt]

If the same crap happens again, Tomlin needs to be fired..especially if the locker room is still toxic .... you can not win with a locker room too loose.

Fire Tomlin you say? Interesting thought.. I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned before.. Has anyone considered starting a thread about it?

[bendsteel]

I once worked for a company (household name in lux hospitality, not named 4 Seasons). It was made crystal clear from day 1 that to be an employee meant you were an ambassador of the company 24/7. Get lit AF one night in a local bar, raise hell....done son! No questions asked. Post "shit" on SM...done son. Tell your boss you dont like his methods in a social forum....done son. I made good money and excepted those rules. We are just learning how to deal with entitled millenial douchebags. Its the new black!

[hawaiiansteeler]

Fire Tomlin you say? Interesting thought.. I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned before.. Has anyone considered starting a thread about it?

don't forget about Butler...

[Fire Goodell]

No, they shouldn't be policing players' social media activity. The media does that well enough.

I'm sure the coaches all tell players that posting certain things on social media can have permanent consequences. Just like any other job, posting stuff that's controversial or insulting your employers can get you disciplined or canned

[smokin3000gt]

don't forget about Butler...

certainly there can not be strong feelings about him as well

[hawaiiansteeler]

certainly there can not be strong feelings about him as well