University Asks Student To Take Down Facebook Group “John Wall PLEASE Come to State”

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NC State’s Director of Compliance asked a student Thursday to shutter his ‘John Wall to State’ group on Facebook.  Michelle Lee, the Interim AD for Compliance, feared that the appeal violated NCAA recruiting rule 13.02.13:

ncaa-13-02-13From the front page of today’s News & Observer:

Thursday morning, N.C. State asked Taylor Moseley, a freshman, to shut down “John Wall PLEASE come to NC STATE!!!”, a Facebook group that drew more than 700 members. By Thursday night, it was gone. Moseley started a new group — “Bring a National Title back to NC STATE!” — that makes no mention of Wall but includes a photograph of the senior at Raleigh Word of God, who is widely considered the nation’s best point guard prospect.

Moseley quickly co-operated, according to the paper.

A quick search by SFN found that there are other schools with such Facebook groups: Duke, UNC, Kentucky, Louisville, Baylor and two for Memphis.  Furthermore, there are literally hundreds of entries on blogs, message boards and other forms of Internet communities that have some variant of “John Wall Please Come to XYZ!”

Apparently, NC State chose to take the high and the conservative road, which is probably a good thing considering the brouhaha surrounding Wall at the moment. You can bet that rules are being bent to their cracking point over this high level but commit-phobic young man, and NCSU wants to avoid any appearance at all of breaking the rules.

On the other hand, the young man has his First Amendment right to free speech and as a student apparently not associated with the athletic program, it’s difficult to make a strong case for him being a representative of the school’s academic interests. If that were the case, every fan who cheered Wall in the various college arenas he’s visited on his national tour over the last year would be guilty of violating the NCAA rule. That’s ludicrous on the surface and the cease-and-desist order from State to Moseley probably is as well.

If you would like to look at a good overview of NCAA Recruiting Rules, go here.

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46 Responses to University Asks Student To Take Down Facebook Group “John Wall PLEASE Come to State”

  1. choppack1 04/10/2009 at 9:06 AM #

    So here’s the question – did Moseley fall in any of the following categories:
    *An employee, volunteer or intern of the athletic department.
    *A member of the Wolfpack club or Student Wolfpack club.
    *Assisting or having been ask to assist to recruit athletes.

    If it’s one of the first two, then hey, the compliance department is right. If it’s the last one – which is what I suspect it is – it’s quite a stretch to say that this is “assisting”.

  2. Alpha Wolf 04/10/2009 at 9:10 AM #

    I agree Chop on second thought.

  3. Rochester 04/10/2009 at 9:10 AM #

    We could put up a thousand Facebook pages and Wall still ain’t coming to NC State. Doesn’t matter.

  4. NCSUwolf 04/10/2009 at 9:19 AM #

    Did anyone else notice that NC State said one option was to disassociate with the student. This means that they would be removing the student from school and ruining his chance at an education over this. I am ashamed that this would even be considered an option.

  5. WendellPackster 04/10/2009 at 9:21 AM #

    I think I’ll head over to Facebook now and create a couple of groups:

    1. NC State AD Lee Fowler SUCKS
    2. Lee Fowler please LEAVE NC State
    3. Go to Hell UNC and Lee Fowler

    Will anyone here join?

  6. choppack1 04/10/2009 at 9:44 AM #

    I think the N&O needs to determine if some of the other facebook pages at other schools are doing the same thing – and escalate the issue to their compliance department.

    let’s see how they react.

    I can see why Michelle Lee did this. This IS WHAT BUREAUCRATS DO – and get ready – because in this brave new worlds, there will be more and more Michelle Lee’s.

  7. Wolf Dog 04/10/2009 at 10:02 AM #

    Obama will visit Wall, play a pick up game, and tell him to go to UNX. Like his last visit to UNX, the NCAA will excuse the violation.

    The NCSU student will have us on NCAA probation for setting up a facebook and selling his shoes. The student will most likely be barred from ever having a gvt. job, his aid plus fed loans have been stopped, Bev. Purdue black balls his name to all state agencies, and the IRS will audit him the next 8 years.

    Tons of blog and internet references from fans everywhere and our school the only idiots that give it credibility.

  8. Sw0rdf1sh 04/10/2009 at 10:08 AM #

    ….just a tactic to reduce embarrasment when Wall dismisses NCSU for Calipari University.

  9. Greywolf 04/10/2009 at 10:26 AM #

    Given the NCAA history of effing NCSU over, not surprised somebody is over reacting.

  10. ncsufan23 04/10/2009 at 10:41 AM #

    Wendell,
    I would definitely join those facebook groups. Lee Fowler needs to get out of here ASAP!

  11. El Scrotcho 04/10/2009 at 11:17 AM #

    There’s a point when you realize how silly the entire idea of amateurism, recruiting, and college athletics has become. I think I just reached that point. The whole enterprise is one big bucket of stupid. Especially where NC State is concerned.

  12. BassPacker 04/10/2009 at 12:00 PM #

    So, whats next, I’m in violation of NCAA rules because I wore a NCSU shirt to one of John Walls high school games?

  13. Red_Terrors 04/10/2009 at 12:17 PM #

    Some alumni/fan who is not in the wolfpack club or alumni association should recreate that facebook page. Then I don’t see any violation.

  14. LKNpackfan 04/10/2009 at 12:30 PM #

    If the NCAA is cool with a basketball-only prep school that outsources its academics to the public HS down the road, than it certainly can’t be concerned about a facebook group.

  15. hoop 04/10/2009 at 12:31 PM #

    I don’t see a violation even if he’s a WPC member. NCAA rules are already Draconian as it is. If Coach Roy can blatantly violate NCAA rules to play ball with a presidential candidate then some student can sure as hell throw up a John Wall fan club on Facebook. Damn, this makes me dislike NC State management.

  16. ChemE79a 04/10/2009 at 12:33 PM #

    I know it is not explicitly laid out in the NCAA by-laws, but if the individual is using his student account to access the internet a case could be made that the school “participated” in posting the page and that would be the violation. It would be silly, but the arguement could be made.

  17. TheAliasTroll 04/10/2009 at 12:49 PM #

    I didn’t think we could surpass the level of stupidity we had previously achieved. I mean this is break through stuff right here, this is about as stupid as it gets.

  18. TOBtime 04/10/2009 at 1:21 PM #

    ^Now you’re getting it Troll! The river of s*#t that flows from our AThletic Department is never -ending and the only thing deeper is the level of stupidity we show on a national scale.

    Wendell, I’m not on Facebook but my wife is and we’ll join any of the three you want to put up.

  19. Greywolf 04/10/2009 at 1:26 PM #

    Do you think it was Facebook Fowler considered the AD’s biggest challenge? 😉

  20. WendellPackster 04/10/2009 at 1:38 PM #

    Lee Fowler PLEASE leave NC State is now a group on FB.

  21. spudmarsh 04/10/2009 at 2:42 PM #

    Promote Taylor Moseley to AD.

  22. JeremyH 04/10/2009 at 3:27 PM #

    is John Wall still considering us?

  23. UpstateSCWolfpack 04/10/2009 at 3:29 PM #

    Well, I am not attached to the school other then that I am a loyal fan, and several relatives graduated from State. Here is a new group, http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=76340451743&ref=mf

  24. BSIE80 04/10/2009 at 5:40 PM #

    Wall won’t consider us unless, Calipari, Haith, Roy, and K retire or move to another program outside the U.S.

    NCSU provides too much pressure and expectations for him to come. He wants an easier route.

  25. highstick 04/10/2009 at 5:51 PM #

    Michelle Lee? Wasn’t she a singer/actress? Sounds like the PC crowd is in full flaming charge!

    Heck, Lee probably was up to this. If we had a point guard, we might win more games and “raise expectations”!

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