Belichick on Twitter

The Patriots utilized Twitter to announce their draft picks before they were announced on TV. (AP)

Twitter's popularity is undeniable and even the Patriots' media relations staff has embraced the 140-character social networking site as a way to disseminate information to both the people that cover the team and the general public (see the photo above from this year's draft night at Gillette Stadium, where reporters learned of the team's draft picks before they were even announced on TV).

But the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick have seemingly put their foot down on allowing players to Tweet and one potential reason is so that no one can disseminate anything particularly inflammatory.

Which is exactly what Bengals safety Chinedum Ndukwe might have done last night from what appears to be his personal Twitter. Ndukwe posted the following about an hour after the game:

We got a win....brady ate dirt...and estaban.. aka sugar..aka...sweetness...aka..ochocinco,kicked a perfect field goal, gotta love it

During coach Bill Belichick's conference call with the media this afternoon, a reporter relayed that Tweet to the Patriots coach and asked him what his philosophy is on such matters (check out the audio embedded at the bottom of this entry):

"I think any time you have a group of people doing something, you have to have some type of rule or policy or a way to manage a large group of people," said Belichick. "Just so it can be efficient, so you be consistent and everyone can work together toward a common goal.

"It's not something we talk about outside of the team, or the people directly associated with the team. Right now my biggest focus is on getting this team to play better, do things better fundamentally, do things better situationally, you know, execute the plays we need to make to win. Get ready for Washington, get ready for Buffalo, and a 16-game regular season schedule. Those are the things I'm really focused and concentration on right now."

Patriots players like Laurence Maroney and Vince Wilfork were active on what appears to be their own personal Twitters in the spring. Coincidence or not, both players ceased Tweeting on July 20, a short time before the Patriots launched into training camp.

It's worth noting, too, that there have been a rash of fake accounts in the Twittersphere. A user pretending to be Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis posted some pointed words towards the organization this summer forcing Davis, a restricted free agent at the time, to set the record straight with the front office. Davis ultimately signed a two-year deal with Boston.

Belichick on Twitter