Agree that they're kids, disagree that they aren't public figures.
Let's be honest, when it comes to BU and recognition, the first association many, many, many members of the general public make is the Basketball program (feel free to subsitute another school and another sport).
Deciding to be a member of the flagship program and public face of the university comes with a different set of rules. It's part of the package. They ARE different from the regular joe schmo student (like I was) because of their public profile. If joe schmo student goes out and does something dumb (or good, even) it's not going to make the news, or if it does make the news, it will not have as much impact like it will with the athletes, exactly because joe doesn't have a public profile like they do. Their actions WILL be scrutinized on and off the court (or playing field). They SHOULD and WILL be held to a higher standard. I'm sorry, but that comes with the territory, and if they don't know it when they're getting recruited, they better figure it out real fast.
Is that "fair?" No. But as I've said earlier, life doesn't get any easier once you leave, they're going to have to learn how to deal with adversity and criticism eventually; this is all part of the learning experience of college. Do they have to "grow up" faster than other students? Yep. But that is one of the trade-offs that comes with accepting the offer to represent the school.