Mark WiedmerTweetgate.
That's what Texas A&M football assistant Aaron Moorehead has apparently created thanks to his untimely postings on Twitter about loyalty and accountability following the decommitment of Aggies recruit Tate Martell. Moorehead later said - excuse me, tweeted - that his comments Wednesday weren't directed at the dual-threat quarterback. But whomever they were intended for, they apparently also cost the Aggies highly regarded receiver Mannie Netherly, and more decommitments seem certain to follow.
And the Internet being the Internet, rumors are already circulating that one or both of those players might now consider casting their talents with the University of Tennessee, whose football coaching staff is as tweet-alicious as they come.
Not that UT coach Butch Jones wanted to address either the rumors or opposing coaches' Twitter etiquette in general during Thursday night's Big Orange Caravan stop at the Chattanoogan.
"Our coaches understand," he said when asked about what's encouraged and discouraged when tweeting. "As coaches, being accountable, you're to sit back, not do anything."
But that doesn't mean he isn't keeping up with the A&M soap opera as he readies for the start of the Volunteers' 120th football season. With a rather large smile spreading across his face, Jones said, "There's always excitement, right?"
There was certainly excitement inside the Chattanoogan as Jones, men's basketball coach Rick Barnes and women's basketball assistant Dean Lockwood signed anything and everything before addressing the orange-clad crowd of 400 after a barbecue dinner.
Most fans were like 29-year-old Nick Shadden, who arrived in an orange cap and shirt, excited to see Jones and the other coaches. As one might expect, Peyton Manning remains his favorite player. As one might also expect, Shadden predicts, "We're going to be good."
Shadden's father, John, took in his first Big Orange football game in 1967 when the Vols hosted LSU at Neyland Stadium. Reaching his seat that day with his father, John spied a man sitting by himself who had the strangest accent he'd ever heard.
"It was kicker Karl Kremser's dad," John said. "He was a German emigrant who worked in the steel mills in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He'd drive down every Friday night after his shift ended to watch Karl kick. Karl kicked the winning field goal that day against LSU. UT won 17-14."
Kremser kicked a bigger field goal a year later, his 54-yarder knocking out Alabama 10-9. At that time it was the longest field goal in Southeastern Conference history.
But the LSU game-winner was big enough for John.
"I was hooked for life," he said.
Perrin Lambert got the thrill of his young life when the 6-year-old Boyd-Buchanan student attended the Big Orange Caravan dinner for his birthday. Befitting someone his age, he said quarterback Josh Dobbs is his favorite player. Though both he and his 8-year-old sister Abigail wore orange jerseys, only Abigail had hers signed by Jones.
"We're huge fans," said their mother, Mandy, who added that she and husband Brent got tickets to the event months ago but didn't tell their children until Thursday.
Asked if this was his best present ever, Perrin quickly exclaimed, "Yes!"
The beauty of the Big Orange Caravan is that the fans come in all shapes and sizes, from all economic backgrounds and perspective points.
For youngsters like the Lamberts, there's a starry-eyed innocence, not unlike the first time on Santa's lap.
For veteran Volniacs such as Cleveland, Tenn., radio personality Doc Hollywood - who was a Bradley Central student during the time of Bears legends Dale Jones and Chris White before that duo became UT greats - there are concerns.
"Expectations are awfully high," he said. "It looks good for Team 120, and I think Butch Jones is the right man for the job, but I just hope if they lose a couple, people won't get too disappointed. They're going in the right direction."
After five years or more of fitful stops and starts, much of the UT athletic department appears to be moving in the right direction. But the direction of social media within college athletics might be on a different course.
And though Jones seems certain his coaches are on the right path, and his players are repeatedly advised to use caution once on campus, he also had to spend more than a little time advising incoming junior college defensive end Jonathan Kongbo about his recent taunts of Alabama on his Twitter account.
"That's kind of the age that we live in," Jones said. "Everyone wants to broadcast their emotions you have to educate them on the proper ways of doing it. He's a confident young man, and you know what, we want that confidence."
It's certainly a fine line. For better or worse, short, text-based online and phone messages have become a favored form of communication for the vast, vast majority of young people.
It may be devoid of intimacy. It may beg for common sense that's far too often lacking. It's almost certain to cause regret or remorse because it's apparently too hard to refrain from sending. But it doesn't seem to be waning.
"We tell our kids you better be careful," Barnes said. "We don't want anything that's not positive."
But should the worst happen, perhaps the words of Texas A&M football coach Kevin Sumlin should be applied to far more folks, including the Vols' Kongbo.
"Our policy has been," said Sumlin in the wake of Tweetgate, "if you abuse the privilege, you lose the privilege."
In most cases, in most places, that logic should be applied sooner than later.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.