On May 7, former Illinois offensive linemanSimon Cvijanovictweeted, "I just can't get into Twitter but I keep Brandon Nimmo Jersey trying for some reason." And try he did. Three days later he started a string of tweets that included and the Illini football program, from abuse to misuse of power and more. Within a matter of hoursCvijanovic, with roughly 2,300 followers, had his tweets featured on the websites of major news publications around the country.I'm not seeking attention I'm seeking change. The school should know when a student is having i sues and be held liable. Simon Cvijanovi (@IlliniSi) in response to Cvijanovic's tweets.As is to be expected, current and former players have come out in support ofand againstCvijanovic.Those disputing his claims and supporting Beckman are using the hashtag . Much of the conversation has taken place on Tom Seaver Jersey Twitter.MORE: | In the not-so-distant past, student-athletes didn't have much of an outlet for personal thoughts.Most of the time, the only way their storiesgot told was through the athletics department. Naturally, the only storiestold through the department were going to be positive ones.If players were upset, they might call a parent, talkto a teammate or ventto a friend, and that would be the end of it. If the i sue was serious, they might be able to talk to a friend of a friend of a friend who hada media connection and could get a story out.Today, they can reach an audience of thousands with one tweet, post or snap. One tweet can be a catalyst for change.In a recent survey done by my company, Fieldhouse Media, we looked at the. Seventy-three percentof those surveyed hada Twitter account, and 70 percent of those had a public one. Withthe pre s of a button, they can send a me sage to the ma ses.Cvijanovicis not when it comes to Twitter popularity. With 183,000 followers, Jones has 80 times the following ofCvijanovic. Still, social media gives a voice to the New York Mets Jersey seemingly voicele s. To give some perspective, from my own Twitter analytics, nearly 450,000 people have seen my tweets this month. I have 4,200 followers. Your audience is always bigger than you think.Time will tell if Cvijanovic's allegations aretrue, but onething is for certain: Student-athletes no longer have to rely on anyone to tell their story. For better or Dwight Gooden Jersey worse, they are their own media. From announcing where they will sign, to declaring they are transferring, to correcting inaccuracies in a story, they have the control in the palm of their hand. Much to the dismay ofathletics officials, no social media policy will keep a player from hitting send on a post. Policies, while nece sary, are no more than speed limit signs that most people ignore.This is not all bad. Student-athletes are extremely publicamba sadors for their teams, programs and universities. When they are happy, their social media use can shed a positive, powerful light on what it's like to be a student-athlete. They providesome of the best PR a program can have, and it's free.Programs can no longerkeep student-athletes quiet. Almost half of them spend more than an hour per day on social media, broadcasting the good and bad to the world. In le s than 140 characters, everything can change.Athletics departments can't prevent this,and they shouldn'tnece sarily be afraid of it. They must, however, be prepared for it.Kevin DeShazo is the founder of Fieldhouse Media (www.fieldhousemedia.net) and Fieldhouse Leadership (www.fieldhouseleadership.co), and a Sporting News contributor on the topic of social media in sports. Connect with Tug McGraw Jersey him on Twitter at @kevindeshazo.