Is it a good idea to allow college athletes to Tweet?

We spend a lot of time discussing social media governance and policies for corporate clients, but one area we haven't considered yet are universities, and more specifically their athletic departments. While college athletes have been using Facebook and MySpace for a number of years, a few are venturing into using Twitter. While some of these posts are appropriate, a few are not; the University of North Carolina is now in the midst of an NCAA investigation in part due to a player's Twitter posts.

Some university athletic departments already have policies regarding the use of social media by student athletes, others are just starting the process. For high profile teams especially, social media guidelines are imperative. No school wants to find itself under the microscope of the NCAA because of an athlete's lack of judgment when it comes to sharing information in a public forum.