Compliance

NCAA and Patriot League Rules and Regulations

As a member in good standing of the NCAA, Lehigh is obligated to abide by NCAA rules and regulations governing the eligibility, amateur status and recruiting of student-athletes. Under these rules, student-athletes, faculty and staff, alumni and friends of the University are just as responsible for rules compliance as are our coaches and administrators. Thus, the athletic departments must take every effort to educate those supporting our program. The Lehigh athletic compliance staff is available to answer your questions. Please contact: Taryn Gall, Director of NCAA Compliance, at 610-758-4607, or email to: taf6@lehigh.edu . Or write to:

Lehigh University Athletic Compliance 
Lehigh University 
Taylor Gym, 641 Taylor St 
Bethlehem, PA 18015

 
                 

Our best advice is: If you have to think twice about the propriety of any action, please ask before you do!

The Lehigh athletic department and coaching staff appreciate your interest and involvement. We know that you demand integrity and honesty in the conduct of our program. We will do our very best to be deserving of your support. We would appreciate your assistance in helping to educate others about NCAA rules.

Patriot League Information

Patriot League Governance

Patriot League Code of Conduct (PDF)

Patriot League Purpose:
The Patriot League was founded upon the principles of fairness, equality, and excellence in academics as well as in athletic participation. It strongly supports the NCAA's core principle: promoting character development of participants and fundamental values such as respect, fairness, civility, honesty, and responsibility. The Patriot League member institutions will ensure that their athletic programs promote and require the highest standards of sporting behavior and ethical conduct by all participants (student-athletes, coaches, staff, and faculty). Additionally, the member institutions will require and demand the highest standards from all supporters (bands, cheerleaders, spirit groups, student bodies, and spectators).
Host institutions must provide venues that foster an environment of fair play and civility. This will allow the conducting of sporting events that properly showcase the student-athletes, member institutions, and the Patriot League as a whole.
The Executive Director of the Patriot League is empowered to monitor and require member institutions to enforce this Code of Conduct.

Patriot League Standards:

  • The Patriot League requires the highest ethical conduct by all personnel and demands the highest commitment to integrity, ethical behavior, and fair play in all athletic endeavors. In this regard, the following actions are considered to be inconsistent with the high standards the League strives to represent and instill:
  • Publicly criticizing or making derogatory statements of an official, the Patriot League personnel or its policies, another member institution or any of its personnel, especially student-athletes. This includes comments with respect to their conduct, character, competence, integrity, or appearance.
  • Striking, attempting to strike, or otherwise physically abusing an official, coach, student-athlete, cheerleader, mascot or other person in attendance at an athletic event. This includes throwing objects at an individual or onto the playing surface.
  • Acts dangerous to others, unsafe behavior, inciting participants or spectators to violent or abusive action, obscene gestures, profanity or provocative language or action toward an official, studentathlete, coach, spectator, bench or score-table personnel.
  • Defacing, destruction or theft of property associated with an athletic event, including property of the opposing team or contest official.
  • Taunting by spectators or cheering actions directed at opposing players, officials, or coaches. Taunting includes disrespectful cheers focusing on an opponent's race, religion, sexual orientation or physical characteristics, or any "cheer" which is vulgar or obscene.
  • Displaying signs or banners that contain offensive language or pictures, particularly displays that may be vulgar or obscene.
  • Consumption of alchoholic beverages or public drunkenness by any individual at an athletic event.
  • Cheating by coaches, staff, or student-athletes in connection with any athletic event. This includes the use of drugs or unauthorized substances.
  • Negative recruiting, including derogatory statements about another member institution, its personnel, or its athletic program to a prospective student-athlete, the prospect's parents, high school coach, or other persons interested in the prospective student-athletes.
  • Any violation of local law, federal law, or generally recognized standards of good conduct by any individual.

Institutional Responsibilities:
Institutions will ensure that good sporting behavior and ethical conduct is promoted at all times. Each institution will actively support the Patriot League Code of Conduct and ensure that the policy is presented to all members of the institution on a yearly basis. Contents of the Code of Conduct will be included in an annual meeting with coaches and administrators. This information will also be provided at the annual orientation of incoming student-athletes and reviewed with all other student-athlete groups at the beginning of each academic year.
Each institution will promote sporting and ethical conduct throughout the year. Institutional representatives and event management staff will be most vigilant during the conduct of any game or athletic event. In that regard host institutions will do the following:

  • Ensure than an administrative representative of the host institution is present (or readily accessible) at all Patriot League contests and that he/she is charged with the enforcement of the League's Code of Conduct. The representative will identify him/herself to the visiting coach or administrator prior to the start of the contest.
  • Provide for adequate security, police and other game management measures necessary to protect the safety of student-athletes, coaches and officials, and to maintain adequate crowd control during home athletic events.
  • Announce a statement promoting good sporting behavior before each home sporting event where a public address system is utilized and/or print the announcement in the game program. Public address announcers will be directed to announce the game in an impartial manner and assist event management with the promotion of good sporting behavior throughout the game.
  • Reserve or protect the seating or spectator areas immediately behind the visiting team bench for fans of the visiting team, whenever possible.
  • Ensure that members of the institution's band, cheerleading squad and other such spirit groups in attendance at athletic events adhere to the League's Code of Conduct. The home team's band is to be seated in areas on the home team's side or half of the playing venue.
  • Report incidents of poor sporting behavior or unethical conduct by student-athletes, coaches or institutional representatives to the institution's Director of Athletics within 48 hours of the incident.
  • Provide a written report of incidents that are a direct violation of Patriot League Standards as defined below to the Executive Director within 48 hours of the incident. The report will include the identities of the individual(s) involved and the Director of Athletics' recommendation for a penalty and/or remedial action. The Executive Director is authorized to approve or alter the recommended penalty and/or remedial action.
  • Report in writing the removal or suspension of a student-athlete or institutional personnel from a contest for fighting or flagrant behavior to the Executive Director within 24 hours following the contest. The Director of Athletics will administer an immediate suspension of that individual(s) from the next intercollegiate contest, including Patriot League or NCAA championship competition, or if the last contest of the season, the suspension will be extended to the beginning of the next season. (During a suspension, the coach involved may not be in the team bench area, nor make any attempt
  • to coach the team from one hour before the contest begins until one hour after the contest ends. Similarly, a suspended student-athlete(s) may not dress nor sit on the team bench during the game). If warranted, the Executive Director may impose additional penalties for repeated suspensions by an individual within the same sporting season.

Patriot League Award of Good Sporting Conduct:
In the spirit of ethical conduct and sporting behavior, the Patriot League has established an Award of Good Sporting Conduct to recognize and honor exemplary sporting behavior. All Patriot League student-athletes, coaches, a team as a whole and staff members associated with a member institution's intercollegiate athletic program are eligible for the award. The definition of good sporting conduct is left to the discretion of the member institution with the understanding that the behavior should be at a standard beyond what is normally expected during the course of play. Award recipients will receive an Award of Good Sporting Conduct certificate, will be listed on the League's website and will be publicly recognized at an institutional event.


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