The NCAA is taking a tougher stance against cyberbullying and online harassment. As part of the initiative to combat online harassment, Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter released a statement.

This week, the NCAA released data from its first study on online harassment. According to the organization, more than 72,000 messages were reported and 5,000 were flagged as abusive messages targeting student-athletes, coaches and officials.

It has become a sad and discouraging aspect of college sports. But the NCAA and Painter hope to deter people from attacking student-athletes on social media in the future.

“Online abuse and cyberbullying have no place in our society or in college athletics. Thousands of student-athletes across the country face harassment every day on social media, and bullying can affect their mental well-being, causing stress, depression and suicidal thoughts,” the painter said.

“Increased exposure to online gambling only exacerbates online abuse, with many student-athletes receiving death threats via social media. We call on all companies and social media platforms to do more to identify and remove these online threats and make their platforms safer for users. everyone.”

With the ease and accessibility of online sports betting, athletes, coaches and officials at all levels have witnessed an increase in online harassment and abuse on social media. The NCAA calls on these platforms to better manage these situations.

“I’ve heard too many student-athletes talk about the abusive messages they’ve received, and for the first time, we now have proof of the scale at which this is happening. It’s incredibly alarming and completely unacceptable “said NCAA President Charlie Baker. said in a statement.

“Fans need to do better, social media companies need to do more to identify and remove this content, and we all need reminders about responsible social media use. Student-athletes come to college in the hope to realize their athletic and academic dreams, and our job at the NCAA is to provide them with the most rewarding experience possible. We will exhaust all options to reduce the harassment and vitriol that student-athletes too often experience today. .

Hopefully, an increased level of patrolling of social media platforms will help reduce the amount of cyberbullying that student-athletes, coaches and officials experience in the future.

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