Mike Rants: Nicholls QB’s gripe unwarranted

Social media, such as Twitter, is either one of the best or worst things to happen to sports depending on the angle at which it is looked.

It can become a dangerous game when an athlete has their head dipped too far into social media.

That proved to be to the case for Nicholls quarterback Kalen Henderson, who sent out a tweet degrading his team. Nicholls has already had an awful season.

They are winless and lost head coach Charlie Stubbs to health issues, whom I wish the best.

The last thing the Colonels need is a quarterback disrespecting the team and the school.

Henderson posted a tweet last week that read, “I miss playing in Tulsa,” referencing his stint with the University of Tulsa, the school he signed with out of East St. John High School.

Sophomore linebacker Ronnie Walker replied to Henderson’s tweet with “Good to know our QB FEEL THAT WAY.”

Walker later tweeted “three QBs had to either redshirt, bench, and become a converted lb & have to sit and watch this person belittle everything we fought for.”

Walker referenced former quarterback Landry Klann’s transistion to defense, last year’s leading rusher Tuskani Figaro is being asked to redshirt and Beaux Hebert who took a back seat in favor of Henderson.

Henderson defended his statements by tweeting “I guess I am not allowed to miss friends that I came to college with lol.”

Maybe the icing on the cake came from the tweets exchanged between Henderson and former Tulsa basketball player Patrick Swilling Jr.

Swilling tweeted to the Colonels quarterback “look how you’re team went at you lol.”

To which Henderson responded “lmao you see that huh.”

Social media tends to show the true character of athletes who hide behind the mediated answers they generally give at press conferences or any time a camera or microphone is in their face.

What makes the whole situation alarming is not the tweet itself. It is the fact that he followed it up with more tweets and shrugged it off like it was no big deal that he upset a teammate.

If I tweeted “I wish I was writing for (enter competitor here),” I can tell you that my boss would drop me like a bad habit and wouldn’t think twice and rightfully so. It is unacceptable. They pay me to work and be loyal to the company.

Maybe college athletes do not get paid, but they do get scholarships to represent their programs proudly.

Instead of simply apologizing for the tweet and being done with it, he decided to make a mockery of the entire process. Henderson added gasoline to the fire.

I spent four years working as a video staff member for the Nicholls football program. I remember when Kalen signed. Players raved about his arm strength and his ability.

I remember talking to him in one of the coach’s offices after a practice about his playing days at East St. John, Tulsa and his early impression of Nicholls.

This was me talking to him, not as a media member, but as an employee and even a fan.

His first impression was a good one.

He told me he wanted to come here and earn his spot and did not expect handouts. That was not the attitude I perceived from most of the Division I-A transfers who found their way to Nicholls.

Naturally, I was excited about Nicholls’ new acquisition. Not only because of his talent, he appeared to be a high-character athlete.

I have heard on more than once occasion from peers how first impressions are everything. I believe that to an extent because if your last impression is awful, your first impression is rendered meaningless.

The general idea is to make a good first impression, that rule applies in most walks of life.

No one wants to show his or her hand in the first meeting. That usually comes weeks, months and maybe years after meeting someone.

The truth showed for Henderson when he tweeted those statements.

The original tweet has been deleted, but in the social media age, screenshots are still out there.

The tweet showed a lack of self-awareness, which seems to be common among many athletes now.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie was fined in Aug. 2009 when he tweeted negative things about the food that the San Diego Chargers served their players.

Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire was fined in 2012 for a gay slur in a direct message to a fan.

The list goes on.

What I do not understand about the entire Henderson situation is that he wants to play football after college.

He tweeted a photo from ESPN’s website with his name next to other NFL draft hopefuls saying “Tryna turn a dream into a reality thanking God every step of the way.”

If he is tweeting detrimental comments about his college team, I hope he understands that anyone who hires him will check that, whether it is the NFL or life outside of football.

He is making a bad impression before anyone can even meet him.

Perhaps he should be doing more to make his team better by being a leader, instead of worrying about getting his “twitter game” up.

For a quarterback who is completing 46 percent of his passes and only has two passing touchdowns in eight games, Twitter should be an after thought.