A high school student-athlete in Minnesota who was indefinitely suspended from sports after sending a tweet about “drilling” his teammates will be allowed to wrestle this season, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
Shakopee (Minn.) High School administrators suspended 16-year-old Tyson Leon back in August after he sent a tweet that read, “Im boutta drill my ‘teammates’ on Monday,” in reference to his counterparts on the school’s football team. While Leon said that his use of “drill” was simply a synonym for tackle, the school interpreted it as a “terroristic threat.”
After learning of the tweet, school officials pulled him off a bus that was headed to a football scrimmage and indefinitely suspended him from sports.
Leon sued the school over the suspension, claiming that it could negatively impact his chances of landing an athletic scholarship for college. In front of a district judge on Tuesday, his attorney testified that North Dakota State University had been scouting the junior for wrestling since last year.
“The thing that has compelled him through high school and will compel him through college is participation in sports,” said his attorney, per the paper.
The school district’s attorney claimed that the suspension was only effective for the football season, and that Leon would be allowed to wrestle after signing an agreement with school administrators. The district judge then ordered the two parties into mediation, and both parties returned Wednesday to drop the case.
Leon expressed his gratitude on Twitter once the case was resolved:
I just want to thank everyone who has been supporting me and have been corner during this time in my life-- Tyson Leon (@tysontoocool) October 23, 2013
Per FOX 9 reporter Timothy Blatz, the situation also taught Leon a lesson about proper social-media use:
Tyson Leon also says he’s learned his lesson on social media use and urges fellow students to be careful what they post.-- Timothy Blotz (@TimBlotzFOX9) October 23, 2013That’s an increasingly important lesson to learn for Leon and other prospective college-goers. According to a 2012 survey by Kaplan Test Prep, 35 percent of admissions officers have discovered online material that negatively impacts an applicant’s chances, my colleague Caralee Adams reported. Only 12 percent of admissions officers said the same in 2011.
It’s often difficult for social-media users of all ages to understand the ramifications of what they share on these sites. Here’s a starting rule of thumb, though: If you wouldn’t want your boss, parents, or school coaches to see it, don’t post it.