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Camera Phones Robbing College Football Stars of Privacy
Tebow told the paper that women try to remove their shirts while posing for a picture with him. McCoy even called the cops because a man was banging on his door and yelling his name late one night. Bradford was repeatedly accosted by an autograph seeker that wanted to profit from his signature.
If you think Michael Phelps caused a stir, just imagine if one of these golden boys were caught in a compromising position. With cameraphones being ubiquitous and digital distribution of images just a click away via Facebook or Myspace, these campus gods are forced to remain guarded from everyone except their teammates. Bradford's dad, Kent, put it best, when he told the New York Times: 'You don't know if you're actually having that picture made with a known gambler or a known prostitute or a known drug dealer.'
Of course, pictures showing up on the Internet is nothing new in the world of college sports scandals. Remember the pictures that surfaced of number-one NFL draft pick and former Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford during a weekend bender at a NASCAR race? How about that shot of former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn with his hand on another guy's crotch? Well, those dudes had it easy. Back in the innocent days before Twitter and Facebook, in the BC ('Before Cameraphone') era, athletes weren't under nearly as much scrutiny (or as vulnerable) as today's college athletes are. Nowadays -- thanks to increasingly discreet cameraphones with always-on connections to Facebook and Twitter -- it's even easier to snap pics in all kinds of places and situations without being noticed, and then get them out to everyone you know in (literally) a few seconds.
| Yes | |
|---|---|
| No | |
| I'm not sure. |
These guys may be okay with the hassles that come with campus-wide fame, though. Come April 2010, all three should receive a nice fat check from an NFL team. That must be some consolation. Plus, the co-eds at Oklahoma, Texas and Florida can't be too bad, either. [From: The New York Times]
Facebook Crime and Punishment
Blackmail
Sending any personal info or incriminating pictures to someone on Facebook is a huge mistake for many reasons. One of the worst possible outcomes is getting blackmailed for money, sex, or, well, anything these sickos dream up. Really, whether they're using a fake profile or not, it's a horrible idea. Read up on the story of an 18-year-old who blackmailed 31 male classmates after he posed as a girl and asked for nude pictures. That's lesson enough.
Impostors
Sure, it can be harmless to impersonate a celeb online or create a fake profile for a movie character. But seriously, there's a definite line you shouldn't cross when pretending to be someone else and it can lead to dire consequences for you. Maybe it's not as extreme as the Moroccan man who was jailed for 43 days after creating a fake Facebook profile of a prince, but you never know. Just steer clear of it.
Self-Incrimination
Do we really have to explain this? Just look up the shoplifter who posed with her stolen merchandise, the many photos of drunk underage teens, and, most recently, the album featuring a couple who killed and ate an endangered iguana in the Bahamas.
Suicide
Social networking sites has been blamed for a lot of things, fairly and unfairly, but in our opinion, the worst offense has been their indirect involvement in suicides. Obviously, there are a lot of factors responsible in each case, but there does seem to be links between social networking and a rash of suicides, and obviously tehre's the case tragic of Megan Meier, who killed herself after a classmate's mom impersonated a teen boy and harassed her over Myspace.
Murder
We've reported on numerous incidents of people getting in trouble because of their online behavior. Now, people are becoming victims because of what they're doing on the Web too. In England, a man was convicted of murdering his estranged wife after she changed her relationship status to "single." So, be careful of who can see your profile and what you're doing, no matter how harmless it seems.
Nigerian Scammers
Oh, you thought this only happened via poorly worded emails, right? WRONG. Once people got wise to their old ways, these con men are turning to social networking sites for new targets. This time, they're hacking into people's accounts and impersonating them to ask for money, usually with some weird sob story. You can check out a transcript of one of these conversations here.
Cooperation
Even if the law isn't on a case, a victim, his friends, or empathetic strangers might be. Since it's easy to get word out for anything online, people are using blogs, forums, and social networking sites to help track down criminals. In one such case, a vehicle thief was tracked down by a bunch of anonymous car enthusiasts after the victim posted his story on a forum. In the end, they identified the guy through his Facebook profile.
Self-Incrimination
Do we really have to explain this? Just look up the shoplifter who posed with her stolen merchandise, the many photos of drunk underage teens, and, most recently, the album featuring a couple who killed and ate an endangered iguana in the Bahamas.
Comments
76
Subscribe to commentsTCDSep 18th 2009 7:08AM
With the high amount of mental illness that is so prevalent in the United States, ranging from a lack of sensibility all the away to full blown psychosis......these high profile sports stars best try to stay away from the gen. pop as much as possible.
striderhamtaroSep 18th 2009 9:43AM
Amen.
rxstac93Sep 18th 2009 7:41AM
Thanks for the closing sentence the comment about co-eds was a bit of sheer journalistic genius. That of course was dripping with sarcasm. The three young men are truly class acts but I'm sure the writer of this article wouldn't know a class act if it hit him with a 15 yard pass.
CarmineSep 18th 2009 9:27AM
Tim Tebow is a Christian. He is the son of a pastor and is a virgin. He is honest and open in his interviews. He knows he has to be above reproach. No one is perfect, only Christ was. I never met Tim, but I'm so blessed and proud of my Christian brother. We should ALL live like we could be captured on 'film' at any moment. The truth is, WE REALLY ARE ! Because, that is the reason God sent the Holy Spirit.. We are being watch, by God and we all will be help accountable for the things that we have done. I can't speak for the other jocks.
blpurgaSep 18th 2009 10:44AM
So you know that God is fictional eh? Ignorance.
doortleSep 18th 2009 11:47AM
I"ve had to pleasure to meet Tim several times. He is the real thing. He leads the kind of life that we hope our children will lead. He came to my sons' school as a freshman and as a heisman winner. He told all the children about the importance of faith, family and education. I am proud to be a Gator!!!! I am proud to have someone represent our christian faith as he does.
DeadHorseSep 18th 2009 1:25PM
Amen, Brother!
brms24Sep 18th 2009 1:53PM
I'm catholic and very religious but girl your scaring me lol i think u need to take a break from the kool-aid!!!! You sound like an evangelical christian who is nuts lol...
A.CSep 18th 2009 4:46PM
This is creepy. Do you even know him other than what you see on tv?
gdSep 18th 2009 4:53PM
Your underhanded insult to McCoy and Bradford in your last sentence makes me wonder just how well you grasp the concept of Christianity.
orangeandblue229Sep 20th 2009 7:45PM
tebow is a true rolemodel to teenagers. i look up to him
KatSep 21st 2009 2:58AM
Huh ??
jrjjr66Sep 18th 2009 9:51AM
wha stop cring bunch of babies.....well it is good practice for when(if) u go pro whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
RiZZoSep 18th 2009 10:03AM
Ok Carmine, Tebow is a christian, Tebow is a virgin, Tebow is honest in his interviews....BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. Heard that same speech a thousand times before. If your belief in Christ has you that nieve to believe that Tebow is "the MAN" at one of the top party schools in this nation and hasnt dabbled in the party life or lost his virginity yet, I have the Statue of Liberty over here for sale and i'll give ya a hell of a deal on it! Get real.
rightcallmoeumpSep 18th 2009 2:30PM
You can believe what you want RiZZo. But if Tim Tebow says he's a virgin,and lives a clean life before his peers..... then I have all the faith in the world, and in the "ONE" he serves, that he is what he says he is. And just " WHO ARE YOU", to try and discredit him, just because that he lives in and around an environment that has no biblical principles. Its all about Christ living within Tim's heart, that makes him who he is. Tim would tell you that himself if you were to ask him. He knows he can't do it on his own. But because of his relationship with Christ Jesus, and Christ living in his heart, he can overcome and avoid those areas of sin..... "NO MATTER WHERE HE LIVES."
shanaSep 18th 2009 10:02AM
Oh, enough with the whining! If you don't want to deal with this kind of stuff, don't become a pro athlete, or anything that puts you in the public eye for that matter. I'm sure they will gladly experience this "hardship" so they can make millions of dollars for playing a game in the near future. There are more ways to have fun besides going to bars and getting drunk or high. Just do other things. It's really not that difficult.
reidgatorSep 18th 2009 11:21AM
Shana, you're a jealous @zzhole. How much money these athletes may or may not make is effing irrelevant to the discussion. These athletes deserve to be left alone. You pathetic losers complain when society treat these athletes with high regard, as if they are special, and when they want to be treated "normal", you criticize them for that... Make up your mind. That should not be too hard for someone with a pea-sized brain!!!
unsuitenedSep 18th 2009 10:08AM
whiners
unsuitenedSep 18th 2009 3:33PM
The headline should read..."Camera phones robbing EVERYONE of privacy, including whiney football players"
THA21BYRDSep 18th 2009 4:09PM
LMAO RIGHT SO WITH THAT SAID CONVERSATION SHOULD BE OVER