Exercise Self-Control. Coaches should demonstrate and require their athletes to demonstrate self-control, avoiding visible displays of anger or frustration whether directed at athletes, parents, officials or media. Under no circumstances, should a coach engage in physical altercations.

Pursue Excellence. Coaches should be the best they can be in all phases of coaching responsibilities from skill building to character building to counseling.

Develop and Maintain Competence. Coaches must develop and demonstrate professional knowledge of the rules and strategies of their sport, basic coaching principles adjusted for the age group that they coach, fundamentals of first-aid, and methods of teaching and reinforcing good character through athletics.

Provide for the Safety and Welfare of Athletes Above All Else. Coaches should take all reasonable steps to assure that the safety and health of athlete is the priority issue in practices, games and in the environment provided.

Protect Athletes Against Physical Abuse, Sexual Harassment or Exploitation. Coaches must protect their athletes, never engaging in nor allowing anyone under their control or influence to engage in physical abuse of athletes or any form of sexual harassment or exploitation.

Prepare Athletes to Deal with Temptation and Pressures. We need to warn and teach talented youngsters about the seductions they will face, seductions that can demean and endanger them - easy sex, available drugs, intoxicating praise and those who exploit the athlete economically, politically or socially.

Sport-Related Temptations and Dangers for Student Athletes.

• NCAA violations including work, compensation and gifts.
• Use of performance enhancing drugs.
• Unhealthy practices to gain or lose weight.
• Unhealthy win-at-all-cost attitudes that promote cheating and unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Imprudence or recklessness regarding personal health and safety.
• Excessive violence or the intent to injure another player.
• Taunting or excessive celebration.
• Disrespect for officials.
• Special off-the-field temptations and dangers for student-athletes.
• Distraction and minimization of importance of academic performance and education.
• Ignoring social and emotional needs.
• Recreational drugs including alcohol and tobacco.
• Gambling and dealing with gamblers (e.g. point shaving).
• Sexual promiscuity and related concerns including pregnancy and disease.
• Violence including fighting and sexual assaults.
• Unrealistic or imprudent dependency on making a living as an athlete.

Being a Positive Role Model

While many aspects of personal behavior and private activities seem far removed from official duties of coaching, all coaches should be sensitive to their position as role models for their athletes. Private activities perceived as immoral or illegal can influence the coaching environment and coaches are encouraged to observe the standards of this Ethics Code consistently.

Coaches must articulate and enforce policies that assure that athletes and others under their supervision exemplify good character and conduct themselves as positive role models on and off the field.

Maintain the Integrity of the Sport. Coaches must assure that their sports are conducted with the utmost integrity. Cheating of any sort should not be tolerated. Though there is technically a choice between the gamesmanship and sportsmanship models of sports, coaches have an ethical responsibility to pursue, teach and demand the sportsmanship model.

Fairness

Coaches should assure that their teams and athletes play by the rules and treat everyone fairly. The concept of fair play is fundamental to sports. Anything that gives one an unfair advantage violates the spirit as well as the integrity of the sport. Thus, all forms of cheating violate the fairness pillar as well as the trustworthiness pillar. Similarly, deliberate rule-breaking or evasions of the spirit of the rules violate the fairness principle as well as the citizenship obligation.

Caring

The professional duty of coaches to put athletes' welfare first is one element of caring. Coaches also have a duty to care about the health and safety of opponents. Good coaches are always sensitive to the pychological and physical impact their words and decisions may have on athletes and others.

Citizenship

Coaches should model good citizenship by abiding by the rules and principles of sportsmanship.

Rule Breaking Changes the Game. In sports, rules are worthy of special reverence and respect. Rules define the nature of the sport and set the goals and objectives of the game. When one violates these rules, whether they be rules of the game like those that prohibit holding or rules regulating eligibility, they change the game in a way that places value on skills or strategies not intended to be part of the game.

Rule Breaking Is Unfair. When one side breaks the rules, there is no longer a level playing field and the nature or the competition changes.