After a temporary ban, Towson football players are using Twitter again.

As of Feb. 17, football players such as safety Jordan Dangerfield, quarterback Grant Enders, and offensive lineman Eric Pike are active on the social media platform.

“I got to get my twitter flowing again #ASAP,” Dangerfield Tweeted Feb. 17.

“#TUFootball” was Pike’s first Tweet after the ban was lifted.

Grant Enders’ new Twitter account is protected, meaning only confirmed followers can see his posts.

The ban, issued by football Head Coach Rob Ambrose, stemmed from a Tweet by Lehigh receiver Ryan Spadola, in which he used a racial slur the week before the Mountain Hawks’ playoff game against the Tigers.

Because of the Tweet, Spadola was suspended for Lehigh’s second-round match against North Dakota State after an NCAA investigation.

During their absence from the social networking site, the players were educated on how to protect themselves from the possible risk of suspension, according to Director of Athletics Mike Waddell.

“It was never a permanent ban. To the best of my knowledge, [Ambrose’s] intention the whole time was to educate them, and we worked with Coach [Ambrose] to get proper training for the guys,” Waddell said. “Now that they are up to speed and doing things that the rest of our student athletes are doing, I don’t think that this is a real issue. It’s all about personal responsibility and making sure that they protect themselves.”

Ambrose was not available for comment.

Bethesda, Md., lawyer Bradley Shear recently urged Maryland legislators to write Senate Bill 434, which would “prohibit institutions from requiring a student or applicant for admission to provide access to a personal account or service through an electronic communications device.”

Public universities that accept state funds, such as Towson, violate the Constitution when they limit students’ free speech, according to Shear.

“I praise Mike Waddell for his decision to abide by the U.S. constitution,” Shear said, “You have to treat all speech the same. You can’t create different rules for communication. It’s the same rule, whether you’re in real world or virtual world.”

Pike said that the training was not just about keeping the players on the field, but preventing the players from making mistakes that would hinder their career aspirations beyond college.

“It wasn’t a fact about taking away our social media networks, that was never the goal. Coach [Ambrose] wanted to make sure we were aware of the possible consequences that could come from just saying the wrong thing,” Pike said.  “When it comes time for us to start careers wherever the field of interest certain companies do background checks and the wrong thing said could be the difference between you being hired or not.”

According to the Towson Athletics and Social Networking Guidelines, coaches, staff and student athletes’ social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, are monitored for inappropriate content.

Inappropriate content is defined as photos, videos or comments that show the use of alcohol and tobacco, pornography, drug-related activity, and offensive language such as threats of violence and derogatory comments against race and gender.

“Obviously schools have a legitimate concern for making sure their students do not violate NCAA regulations,” Shear said. “But there comes a point where you have to say, ‘Hey, this is the United States of America. This is not a foreign country and we still have rights.”

Student athletes aren’t the only members of the department who are monitored on social media.

Coaches are asked to consider sharing their password with Athletics Media Relations to “assist with basic updates,” according to the Social Networking Guidelines.