Physical Misconduct is any behavior done on purpose that causes (or could reasonably cause) physical harm to another person.

Physical Misconduct Includes:

• Contact acts: punching, beating, slapping, or strangling someone; knowingly letting someone return to play without medical clearance after a serious injury 
• Non-contact acts: not letting someone have water or food, illegally giving them alcohol or drugs (including prescription medications not prescribed to them), forcing someone to assume a painful stance or position for no athletic purpose
• Criminal conduct: any behavior described as physical abuse or misconduct under federal or state law, such as assault or child abuse

Physical Misconduct does not include conduct reasonably accepted as part of sport. For example, athletes may kick and hit each other during a karate tournament, but not during a swim meet.

What are examples of Physical Misconduct?

• A coach kicks an athlete in their prosthetic leg and causes them to fall after the athlete had a poor practice
• A coach gives an 11-year-old athlete someone else’s prescription pain medication when the team is on a road trip
• An athlete loses their temper and punches an opposing player in the face after the game

Accountability and Safety: A healthier way to respond

• Coaching that involves Physical Misconduct could physically harm or injure someone, even if that was not the intent.
• Coaching practices based on accountability focus on respect and discipline, not punishment. This helps athletes associate behaviors with reasonable consequences so they can learn from their mistakes.
• Safe coaching practices have recognizable positive effects on athlete performance. Coaches know how much and how far to push athletes to maximize results while maintaining safety. They do not let a seriously injured athlete return to play without medical clearance, even if the athlete wants to play through the pain.

Scenarios

Caleb falls after colliding with Rohan when they both go for the ball during their soccer game.

• Physical Misconduct: After the whistle, Rohan intentionally kicks Caleb in the stomach and walks away.
• Accountability and Safety: After the whistle, Rohan helps Caleb up and walks away.

Liam falls after a practice vault at a U-12 competition and breaks his ankle.

• Physical Misconduct: His coach refuses to let the athletic trainer examine his ankle and makes him practice the vault several more times, even as his injury noticeably worsens.
• Accountability and Safety: His coach helps him sit down, then calls an athletic trainer to check out his ankle.

Bullying Behavior is repeated or severe aggressive behavior directed at someone under age 18. The behavior is intended or likely to hurt, control, or tear down that person emotionally, physically, or sexually. Bullying Behavior that is sexual in nature is called Sexual Bullying Behavior and is defined as Sexual Misconduct in the SafeSport Code. Sexual Bullying Behavior also includes behaviors that are related to gender or sexual orientation.

It can be:

• Physical: hitting, beating up, spitting at, or throwing objects at someone
• Verbal: ridiculing, name-calling, taunting, or threatening to harm someone
• Social (including cyberbullying): spreading rumors or lies to harm someone’s reputation, socially excluding them and asking others to do the same, or using technology to harass, frighten, intimidate, or humiliate them
• Criminal conduct: any conduct described as bullying under federal or state law

When done to Adults, these behaviors could qualify as other violations of the SafeSport Code, such as Hazing or Harassment.

Bullying Behavior does not include petty slights, minor inconveniences, or lack of good manners, unless these behaviors are repeated or very aggressive.

Coaches who observe rude, mean, or conflict-based behaviors should monitor them to see if they are dealt with in a healthy manner, and not reflective of a deeper pattern of bullying and exclusion. By holding individuals accountable for any harm they may cause, coaches can foster positive team environments and prevent behaviors from escalating into bullying.

What are examples of Bullying Behavior?

• A competitor posts hurtful and inaccurate rumors about a 14-year-old athlete on multiple social media platforms
• Athletes aggressively ridicule a heavy 12-year-old teammate before and after most practices

Inclusion: A healthier way to respond

• When someone engages in bullying, they often use physical or social power to exclude and make someone feel less than others. This also makes it harder for targets to stop the behavior.^[4]
• When someone exhibits inclusive behaviors, they use social power to include and build up others, bringing them into a group and making them feel welcome.^[4]
• Bullying and inclusion are behaviors based on a specific context: someone can engage in bullying in one context yet be a target of bullying in another.^[4]

Scenarios

Devon is new to his youth travel team and earns a starting position over a returning player.

• Bullying Behavior: Some of Devon’s teammates call him a freak and shove him around the locker room after most practices, threatening to make his life miserable if he doesn’t quit the team.
• Inclusion: Team captains make sure Devon is included in all team activities and help him get to know his new teammates.

Carly and Keira, rugby players for the same U-17 team, are fighting.

• Bullying Behavior: Keira encourages other players to gang up on Carly. They text Carly over 50 times that night, telling her that everyone hates her and that she doesn’t belong on the field.
• Inclusion: Instead of taking sides, other players help them work out their disagreements.

Harassment is repeated or severe conduct that is intended or likely to:

• Cause fear, humiliation, or annoyance: such as threatening to harm someone or repeatedly ridiculing them
• Offend or degrade: such as repeatedly using slurs or making offensive jokes to or about someone
• Create a hostile environment: such as repeated or severe actions that affect someone in a way that limits their ability to participate in programs or activities
• Attempt to establish dominance, superiority, or power because of prejudice against a person or group’s age, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, national origin, or disability It also includes any conduct described as harassment under federal or state law.

Harassment does not include petty slights, minor inconveniences, or lack of good manners, unless they are repeated or severe.

Coaches should still address any inappropriate behaviors, even if they are not considered Harassment, to promote a positive team environment and prevent problematic behavior from escalating.

Note: Harassment based on a person’s gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation is classified as a type of Sexual Misconduct in the SafeSport Code.

What are examples of Harassment?

• An athlete routinely humiliates and threatens a teammate until the teammate stops coming to practice
• A coach sends messages to the team group chat that single out an athlete as fat, as well as pictures of them with certain body parts circled and criticized

Respect: A healthier way to respond

• Being harassed can make people feel bad about themselves and cause them to leave their sport.^[3]
• Sometimes people choose to harass others because of differences in age, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, national origin, or disability.^[3]
• Being treated with respect can help people feel supported.
• Respecting and valuing people’s differences can make sport safer and more inclusive.

Scenarios

Noor, who is new to the team, wears a hijab.

• Harassment: On every bad play, the coach mocks Noor’s hijab: “Can you even see with that thing on?” Eventually, this makes Noor want to stop going to practice and other team activities.
• Respect: The coach organizes a team dinner to welcome Noor and her family.

Sarah, an autistic climber, needs to wear headphones to reduce noise stimulation before competing.

• Harassment: One of Sarah’s teammates regularly tells Sarah autistic climbers shouldn’t be allowed to compete and hides her headphones so she can’t participate.
• Respect: Sarah’s teammates cheer her on when she competes.

Hazing is any conduct—either physical, mental, emotional, or psychological—that is intended or likely to abuse, degrade, intimidate, or put a person in danger in order to join or be socially accepted by a group. It may include:

• Contact acts: such as beating someone with fists or objects, or physically restraining them
• Non-contact acts: such as making someone play drinking games, do humiliating acts, or keeping them from sleep, food, or water
• Criminal conduct: any conduct described as hazing under federal or state law

Note: Sexual Hazing is defined as a type of Sexual Misconduct in the SafeSport Code. It includes behaviors that are sexual in nature or related to gender or sexual orientation.  

What are examples of Hazing?

• At a party, returning players tell new teammates to get drunk or else they won’t be added to the team chat
• The starters make rookies wear humiliating outfits in order to be invited to social events

Team Bonding: A healthier way to respond

• Hazing can reduce athletes’ self-confidence, misuse power dynamics between athletes, and erode trust and respect among teammates. While many coaches and parents may recall childhood hazing rituals of their own, hazing behaviors are not harmless traditions.^[8]
• Team bonding activities build trust and cohesion among teammates.^[8]
• Hazing is inappropriate inclusion; team bonding is appropriate inclusion.^[8]
• Even if behavior seems harmless or if an athlete willingly participates, it is still Hazing according to the SafeSport Code if it subjects another person, physically, mentally, emotionally, or psychologically to anything that may endanger, abuse, humiliate, degrade or intimidate the person as a condition of joining or being socially accepted by a group, team, or organization.

Scenarios

Justin is captain of the baseball team.

• Hazing: Justin tells new teammates they need to post videos of themselves doing dangerous social media challenges or the more senior players won’t hang out with them.
• Team Bonding: Justin posts a video of the entire team doing a choreographed dance in their uniforms.

Aalyiah is new to the field hockey team.

• Hazing: Aalyiah and other new team members are forced to drink until they throw up in order to attend the preseason party.
• Team Bonding: Before the first game, the returning players organize a fun obstacle course for Aalyiah and the whole team to run.