Facebook (take 2): Student punished for blunder
March 2, 2010 by Jacob HawleyPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Tech News
A student athlete’s racially-charged post has landed him in hot water. But did the school’s punishment fit the crime?
University of Oregon wide receiver Jamere Holland has been booted from the team, following the student athlete’s post to his Facebook page.
Following the arrest of a fellow athlete, Holland posted, “I wish I could block whites as friends and only have blacks LOL, cause apparently I’m misunderstood.”
Soon after, he was dismissed for violating team rules.
When asked by reporters if the violation was related to Holland’s Facebook post, coach Chip Kelly told The Oregonian, “I won’t get into the specifics, but you’re smart enough to figure it out.”
The University of Oregon has had to deal with a series of recent off-the-field errors by the school’s student athletes, including assault, harassment and driving under the influence.
But this is the first instance of an athlete being dismissed for offenses related to social networking.
Damaging posts to Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites have sent many schools scrambling to develop a system to avoid embarrassment – including the University of Mississippi’s decision to employ a company to monitor their students’ pages for inappropriate content.
Do you think the school overreacted, or was the student’s Facebook blunder inexcusable? Let us know in the comments section.
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March 3rd, 2010 at 12:47 pm
I do not see how the comment is “racially-charged”. Deeming something as racially-charged is subjective by its very nature. The first admandment still applies to everyone in this country.
March 3rd, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Bill,
I understand your point, but there certainly is an issue of race invovled. Reverse the race comments here, and it might be more apparent. Also, I read this story in another article (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/pac10/2010-02-22-oregon-receiver-jamere-jolland-kicked-off-team_N.htm), and there was a little more to it than that. The school has had multiple issues with this athelete, and these atheletes need to understand that they do represent the school when they make comments about the school or its sports program. Was it too severe of a punishment? Perhaps, but I’m sure there is more to it that just this one post.
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Unless there was something more to the comment – what was wrong with it? He said nothing bad about whites, just that he was misunderstood by them. Someone is badly misinterpreting “racially charged”. And, looks like Jamere may have been correct in his assessment.
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:53 pm
This was a post to Facebook. Unless the Facebook page he used belonged to the college and was not a private Facebook page, then the college would have a point. I believe the student was using a private Facebook page. It is his page and he can say whatever he pleases within the boundaries of the Facebook company policy. What he said is free speech. Is it racially charged? I do not think so. I may be naive or not up on the latest lingo but from what is quoted, it is not a racial statement. You may think it is racial. Our opinions are subjective not objective. You cannot go around deciding that this speech is OK and that speech is not OK. The next thing that will happen is that someone will decide that one haircut is offensive and another is not offensive.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Bill — you have fallen into the “slippery slope” fallacy in your discussion. You have a point when it comes to free speech, however, Facebook is public domain. Companies look at perspecive employees via facebook, employees can be fired for what they post if it is regrads to the company, and here might be another instance of that. Free speech works both ways. You can say whatever you like, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t reprecussions. Maureen brings up a good point of wondering what was said, but to assume that wanting to “block” a certain ethnic group doesn’t come across as racists (intention isn’t the point here) then I think we are missing something. If a white student had written that they wished they could block “blacks” and only have “whites” then would we still not see this as racially charged? Maybe it isn’t, but the school has to manage its image. I do think the penalty was harsh, but again, those from the school eluded to the fact that this wasn’t the first time this athelete has gotten himself in trouble. They also state that he violated team rules. If there are set rules you agree to to play on the team and get a scholarship, then you have to abide by that agreement/contract. Perhaps they just ran out of second chances…
March 10th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Here is a bit more of the Facebook posts the school was unhappy about:
Holland, who was academically ineligible for the Rose Bowl at the end of his junior season, posted after linebacker Kiko Alonso was cited by Eugene police for driving under the influence of intoxicants.
Alonso is the fourth UO player to be arrested in the past month. Holland seemed to believe Alonso had been kicked off the team and wrote he disagreed with the decision.
The post read: “How you (expletive) kick kinko (sic) off the team on some weak (expletive). … he slipped up but ive been slippn up, and I’m still here, that (expletive) … could damage for the ducks, that (expletive) is weak, weak (expletive), quote me.”
After the post went viral on the Internet, a second post appeared on Holland’s page reading: “chilln thinking of another status to (expletive) with the readers heads, I wish I could block whites as friends and only have blacks LOL, cause apparently I’m misunderstood.”
March 12th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
I wonder what would have happened if the student was white, and wished that he could block blacks as friends…