NFL Clubs Checking Prospects On Facebook, MySpace, etc.

[HPF Bob]

Yahoo link (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-socialnetowrking040709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

Essentially, teams thinking of who to draft are combing through networking sites like MySpace and Facebook to get the inside dirt on players. Some go to the lengths of creating fake female profiles who might be added to a player's friends list in order to get the lowdown.

Devious? Yes. Underhanded? Certainly. But when you are about to hand millions to some 21- or 22-year-old, you probably need to know if he's got an inner gangsta waiting to break free. Bet some teams like the Titans and Bengals wish they had thought of this before making some of their picks of recent years.

[HPF Bob]

An excerpt...

“I have a Facebook page. I’m rarely on it. But when I was in college, I didn’t have anything to hide,” said Houston Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, a 2007 first-rounder. “But I was just mindful of whatever was on there. If you had the slightest doubt that it might create some controversy [it wasn’t on there]. My whole thing is that I live by the phrase ‘You don’t want to give anybody a reason.’ ”

Added Atlanta Falcons ’08 second-round pick Curtis Lofton, “This is a very important time in your life. You’ve got to do everything possible to put yourself in a better situation and your family in a better situation. It would probably be best to just stay off those things until after the draft.”