It works both ways folks

So by now everyone has heard about Paul Deen's recent troubles.  Allegedly, she used the N-word years ago and is being sued by a former employee for creating and fostering a working environment filled with racism and sexual harassment.  Food Network has chosen not to renew her contract, she was recently dropped by Smithfield's and her home shopping deal seems to be in jeopardy. 

Last night I heard about the tweets from one of the nation's top high school football recruits.  A young man from here in Hoover.  http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/06/top_prospect_marlon_humphrey_j.html#incart_most-read  Unfortunately, what the young man thought was a "joke" is quite harmful to the coaches, the students, the alumni and the fans of Ole Miss.  It was malicious, slanderous and libelous.  And, in a way, racist.  He showed his ignorance and publicly commented on a group of individuals and an institution he knows absolutely nothing about.  The young football player has since recanted and admitted he has never stepped foot on Ole Miss's campus. 

So, should this young man suffer the "Paula Deen" effect -- should he be tried in the media and convicted via social media?  Should any/all of his football scholarships be retracted?  Or should we just chalk this up to a youthful indiscretion the way some people have proclaimed Deen to be a victim of her Southern upbringing?