Clemson Football Welcomes New Social Media Policy

Clemson football players decide against social media hiatus, using platforms to bring about unity and change during unprecedented times

Fall camp in Clemson looks different than it ever has before in more ways than one. 

For roughly the last seven seasons, Clemson players sign off on social media at the commencement of fall camp. What started as a senior class-led initiative has become as routine for the Tiger football program as preseason workouts themselves.

The idea has drawn mixed reviews and criticism from people outside of the program. However, each year, Swinney allows the senior class to decide what they would like to do, and the ban has remained intact since its inception in 2012-2013.

However, the players have taken a different route this season, and instead of not posting personal thoughts or messages on social media, they are using their platforms to speak out and fight to play the 2020 season at a time when there are growing concerns and rumors that it could be canceled at any moment.

After Monday's session of fall camp, Clemson fifth-year senior running back Darien Rencher met with the media via Zoom and discussed how the team is using social media during camp.

"The senior class started this in like 2012 or 2013. It was never Coach Swinney's thing." Rencher said. "It was different back then, they had blackberries and flip phones but they decide to get off of Facebook and whatever social media there was then. At Clemson, we're all about less is more and having limited distractions but I think as times have changed, guys have grown up more in the era of social media, and we think we can handle it."

This year's senior class proposed and voted on a new social media policy for the season where they will utilize social media as they do during the offseason but limit distractions on the day of and the day preceding game day.

Rencher said the timing of the decision along with all that has transpired this summer dating back to the on-campus peaceful protest led to the decision for a new policy this year.

"Honestly with the timing of it, I think it was just God's plan," Rencher sadi. "It wasn't really our focus at the beginning but it just all came together. This will be the first year in a long time that we'll have social media during the season and, as we've seen, I think it has been powerful for us to have in this moment and time."

Swinney stated in the spring that despite the distraction it can cause, social media can also be used in positive ways. This season, his players appear to be putting the social media ban on the shelf for the greater good of college football as a whole.

While Swinney personally isn't on social media, he acknowledges times are rapidly changing, and his goal is just to make sure his players are informed and know the consequences of what they post online.

"I think it's important to educate," Swinney said in March. "Social media is great. There are lots of positives that come from it. But what you click, and what you say, and what you type, I mean, in the world now, you're going to be held accountable for that 20 years later. People change, and people grow up and people mature, and good people do stupid things. And so I mean, there's a lot of us sitting here, I'm pretty sure y'all are happy you're not being held accountable for social media 20 years ago for something stupid that you did. I know I am."