Tar Heel players bit by the Twitter-bug

If brevity is the soul of wit, a handful of players have proved themselves masters of the craft.

A number of North Carolina players have recruited the services of Twitter, a social networking tool that allows users to post status updates in 140 characters or less.

“Not everybody on this team has a chance to tell their story,” said Kevin Best, deputy director for athletic communications. “This is a way for them to get their personality out there, to have a voice.”

The team has never proved to lack voice or personality on the field. And in less than 140 characters, UNC boasts some off of it.

A cursory scan of the team’s tweets showcase a variety of sayings, sentiments and nonsense.

Tweets range from the everyday, such as the following posted by defensive end Aleric Mullins:

“God was on our side this morning was able to walk out my first accident by his blessing.”

Also available are cornerback Kendric Burney’s thoughts on football:

“sum1 gon ask me KB do you have faith in ur QB? I look at the man and said child please TJ is the quarterback and we stand by him ENOUGH said.”

And of course, the transient thoughts of Marvin Austin:

“Misssssssss merry mat,mat,mat all dressed in black, black wit silver button, buttons all down her back back back….”

While almost a fifth of the UNC depth chart graces Twitter, the charge is led in large part by the North Carolina defense.

Proving himself both a veteran on the field and on cutting edge technology, defensive end E.J. Wilson delved into the world of Twitter this summer.

While he also holds the record for UNC defensive ends for squats at 670 lbs., he is quickly gaining recognition as the team’s most prolific tweeter. He is also the team’s most enthusiastic recruiter.

“Nah, I don’t think its embarrassing,” he said. “I’m trying to get everybody on the bandwagon.”

Defensive tackle Cam Thomas was the first to succumb to Wilson and Austin’s dual pressure. He identified Wilson and Serena Williams as his favorite to follow.

“Everybody says that a lot of interesting stuff happens to me,” Wilson said. “I’m a very random person. And now I know how random I really am.”

Mullins discovered a different perk on Twitter.

A potential job.

“One day I had a 9 o’clock class, and I tweeted, ‘Man, I don’t feel like going to class.’ This one guy tweeted me and said, Google is hiring people to work from home. You don’t have to go to class at all.That’s networking.”

Social media has permeated the world of sports, initiating its share of controversy and conversation.

In September, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach became the first NCAA football coach to ban Twitter from his program.

But North Carolina football administrators have maintained that tweeting is not out of bounds.

“There is no official team policy on Twitter,” Best said. “But we have talked to them at length about social media.

“We caution them that this is free for the public and the media to use.”

While Wilson admitted he has never tweeted during gametime, fans should remain wary — and on the lookout .

“I was joking that I was going to give one the equipment managers my phone and give live updates throughout the game,” he said.

Wilson said that the tool has offered the players a means of connecting with fans­. It also helped eliminate preconceived notions about athletes.

“Fans get to see me not just as a football player, but a person,” he said. “Out of the uniform. Outside of the field. We have a life.

“We have feelings. We worry about the same things like they do.”

Enough said.