Coach bans players from using Twitter

Published Feb. 3, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury has banned his team from using Twitter after players posted critical comments on the social networking website following Wednesday's 75-61 loss to Alabama.

Starting guard Ravern Johnson posted ''starting to see why people Transfer you can play the minutes but not getting your talents shown because u watching someone else wit the ball the whole game,'' according to The Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger.

Johnson, a 6-foot-7 senior who is averaging 17.7 points per game, scored just 10 points against the Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs have an 11-10 overall record, 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference.

Both Johnson and forward Renardo Sidney also criticized fans, according to the newspaper. Both Twitter accounts have since been deleted.

Sidney, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, is averaging 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

In a written statement, Stansbury explains his decision, saying ''some young men just don't understand once they put something out there for everyone to see, there is no taking it back.''

It's the latest incident in a string of bad publicity for Mississippi State, which is still dealing with the fallout from a highly publicized fistfight between Sidney and teammate Elgin Bailey on Dec. 23 in the stands of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu that was aired on ESPN.

Bailey decided to transfer after the incident.

Sidney has played in only nine games this season because of three different suspensions.

He missed the first nine games after the NCAA ruled he received impermissible benefits as an amateur. The same issue caused the highly-regarded recruit to miss his entire freshman season.

His second suspension came on Dec. 21, when Stansbury sat him for a game after an ''incident'' during practice.

Just two days later, he was suspended after the fight with Bailey, causing him to miss two games.