Marquette University Lacrosse Player
Do colleges look at your social media? And if so, what are the consequences for what you post? On June 1st, an incoming women's lacrosse player headed to Marquette University learned the hard way in the fall.
Marquette University rescinded an incoming student's scholarship and offer of admission after screenshots of a Snapchat she posted commenting on George Floyd's death drew outrage on social media. Screenshots of the post have ricocheted across Twitter, drawing condemnation for an “offensive comment” she made about former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's decision to press his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. The incoming freshman's post compared Floyd's death to Colin Kaepernick's peaceful protest of kneeling during the national anthem.
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Her Snapchat said: “Some ppl think it's ok to (expletive) kneel during the national anthem, so it's ok to kneel on someone's head,” the incoming freshman's post read. “come at me. y'all brainwashed.” The University's spokeswoman said they became aware of the Snapchat only a few days before they decided to rescind her admission. They also said she had posted other racially offensive content on social media in the past.
This may be an extreme example, but it is a cautionary tale for all high school athletes looking to play a college sport. Honestly, this applies to the general students and people looking to enter the workforce as well. Don't let carelessness on social media harm your opportunities for the future. When I was a swimmer at UCLA, a recruit posted a video of her smoking weed on Snapchat. She had already committed, but it got around to our coach, and she wouldn't let her commit, and this girl had to scramble to find a new school. Don't let that be you!
* Originally published on January 14, 2021, by Allison Goldblatt
