In a move designed to show its athletes the dangers of social media. Michigan Athletic Director Dan Brandon informed the KeyBank Global Leaders Forum in Toledo on Friday, that the department hired a consulting firm, who in turn had an “attractive woman” reach out to several student athletes via Facebook.
Per elevenwarriors.com several of the students replies were less than stellar; with the word “inappropriate” being tossed about. The consulting firm then notified U of M of the responses. Later the University of Michigan held a forum with the athletes, and guess who walks in? You guessed it. The woman whom, the athletes, “inappropriately” replied to. Surely, a Kodak moment, and a learning experience that the athletes will never forget.
So were the students “catfished”?
Not according to associate athletic director Dave Ablauf.
According to UrbanDictionary.com to be ‘catfished’ means ‘Being deceived over facebook as the deceiver professed their romantic feelings to his/her victim, but isn't who they say they are. Or to, ‘Having a fake Facebook profile, images and avatar in order to lure people to have romantic feelings. They are then catfished when the victim realises the person they have falled for via facebook is not who they APPEAR to be’.
The University of Michigan, is perhaps technically correct, but they indeed teetered on a slippery slope. Without the actual texts, one may never know but this is for sure, if the athletes were not catfished they were definitely 'Te'oed.'
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