When Coaches Control Your Future: Sexual Harassment and Coercion in Athletic Programs

Athletes may be especially reluctant to report sexual misconduct when the person engaging in it has substantial control over their athletic future. An athlete may fear losing playing time, being benched, losing a starting position, or being removed from the team entirely. For some athletes, the consequences may extend to scholarships, travel, competitions, recommendations, recruitment, or future collegiate and professional opportunities. Athletes may also worry that they will be labeled “difficult” or “uncoachable,” isolated from teammates, blamed for what happened, or simply not believed.

These concerns can become even more significant in close-knit athletic communities where coaches, administrators, recruiters, and other professionals have longstanding relationships with one another. One particularly serious form of misconduct may arise when a coach connects an athletic benefit or opportunity to sexual conduct. For example, a coach might offer increased playing time or a preferred team position in exchange for sexual or romantic attention, suggest that cooperation with unwanted advances could help an athlete obtain a scholarship, or threaten to bench an athlete who rejects the conduct. A coach could also withhold recommendations or recruitment opportunities or threaten consequences if the athlete tells others about what occurred. The pressure does not necessarily have to come through a direct statement. Favoritism, implied threats, repeated comments, and changes in treatment after an athlete rejects advances may also provide important context. Timing can therefore be particularly relevant when determining whether an athletic consequence may be connected to the athlete’s response to inappropriate conduct. Athlete sexual harassment also does not necessarily involve an exchange of sexual conduct for a specific athletic benefit. Repeated sexual comments or jokes, remarks about an athlete’s body, inappropriate questions about sex or relationships, unwanted touching, repeated sexual advances, unnecessary private meetings, inappropriate texts or direct messages, or sexualized hazing may all raise concerns depending on the circumstances. Retaliation may then appear through sudden changes in the athlete’s treatment. An athlete who previously started regularly may suddenly be benched. Others may be excluded from practices, meetings, competitions, or travel; subjected to increased criticism; threatened with the loss of a scholarship; or given negative recommendations inconsistent with their prior performance. Retaliation may come from the accused coach or, depending on the circumstances, others within the athletic program. Comparing an athlete’s treatment before and after rejecting or reporting misconduct can therefore be important when evaluating whether negative treatment may be retaliatory.

Documentation can be particularly important when an athlete believes they have experienced harassment, coercion, or retaliation. Athletes should consider creating a detailed timeline identifying what happened, when and where each incident occurred, what the coach said or did, whether anyone witnessed the incident, how the athlete responded, and whether the conduct continued or escalated. Relevant evidence may include text messages, emails, social media messages, photographs, videos, team communications, calendar entries, and contemporaneous notes. Telling trusted individuals about what happened or seeking counseling or other appropriate care may also create additional documentation concerning the experience and its impact. It can be equally important to document how the athlete was treated before and after the misconduct was rejected or reported. Playing-time records, team rosters, scholarship communications, performance evaluations, awards, positive feedback, travel assignments, and recruitment communications can help establish a baseline for comparison. For example, if a coach later claims an athlete was benched because of poor performance, prior evaluations or messages praising that athlete’s performance may provide important context. Athletes should preserve evidence they are legally permitted to retain and should not improperly access or download confidential records belonging to the school, team, or organization. Athletes should also document the reporting process itself. This may include when the misconduct was reported, who received the complaint, what was reported, how many reports were made, who followed up, how long the organization took to respond, whether an investigation occurred, and whether any protective measures were implemented. When appropriate, important complaints and follow-up communications should be made or confirmed in writing so there is a record of what the organization was told. Evidence of earlier complaints involving the same coach may also become important when evaluating what an athletic organization knew about alleged misconduct and how it responded.

Athletic sexual harassment cases can involve complicated relationships among individual coaches, schools, universities, employers, and athletic organizations. An attorney familiar with sexual harassment, retaliation, and abuse-of-authority claims can evaluate which legal framework may apply based on whether the athlete is a student, employee, professional athlete, or participant in another type of athletic program. An attorney can also evaluate more than the individual coach’s conduct. Depending on the circumstances, questions may arise regarding whether an organization received previous complaints, knew about warning signs, adequately investigated allegations, appropriately supervised the coach, or continued allowing the coach access to athletes despite known concerns. Potential issues involving hiring, training, supervision, or retention may also need to be evaluated. An attorney should also understand how retaliation can occur within an athletic program. Changes involving playing time, scholarships, recommendations, travel, team placement, or other opportunities may initially appear to be ordinary coaching decisions. Reviewing the timing of those changes alongside the athlete’s prior treatment, complaint, and available evidence can help determine whether further investigation is appropriate. Athletes preparing for an initial consultation may want to bring relevant timelines, communications, evaluations, scholarship records, and other documentation that can help an attorney understand what changed and when. Just as importantly, an athlete should feel comfortable speaking openly with their attorney. Sexual harassment and coercion can involve highly personal facts, and discussing those experiences may be difficult. Athletes may want an attorney who takes their concerns seriously, clearly explains the available options, answers questions about the legal process, understands concerns about athletic careers and reputations, and creates an environment where sensitive information can be discussed openly. The right attorney can evaluate potential civil claims, identify potentially responsible parties, assess retaliation, and help determine what damages or other legal remedies may be available based on the specific circumstances.

Coaches occupy positions of substantial trust and authority. Their control over playing time, scholarships, team positions, recommendations, recruitment, and future opportunities should never be used to pressure athletes into unwanted sexual conduct or discourage them from reporting inappropriate behavior. Coach abuse of power can leave athletes feeling as though they must choose between protecting themselves and protecting the athletic future they have spent years building. Retaliation can also occur through subtle changes in opportunities and treatment, which makes preserving evidence particularly important. Athletes who experience coach sexual harassment or other forms of athlete sexual harassment should consider documenting the underlying misconduct, any reports they make, and changes in their treatment afterward. Athletes who believe they have experienced sexual harassment, coercion, or retaliation may benefit from speaking with an attorney about their circumstances as soon as possible. An attorney can help evaluate the conduct, determine who may potentially bear responsibility, preserve relevant evidence, and explain the legal options that may be available.