DU and CU continue to allow coaches to have sexual relationships with student-athletes, contrary to NCAA recommendations – The Denver Post

The University of Denver does not prohibit sexual relationships between coaches and athletes or between professors and students. (Getty Images iStockphoto)

50 years ago, I was sexually harassed by my tennis coach. I was 16 years old. I had plans to do great things in my sport. Even though I received a full tennis scholarship in Division 1 and played as a No. 1 player, my college career was about getting through every match. My tennis was never the same. I was lost. My plans to play professionally were gone.

And I kept it a secret… for over 30 years.

While I believe progress has been made – more women are speaking out and more is being written about the harms caused by exploitation – there is still a lot of work to be done. The system is still set up to favour men. That has to change.

Colleges and sports organizations are not doing enough to protect their students and athletes.

I was an assistant tennis coach at the University of Denver for 16 years. Their official policy is that they “strongly disapprove of romantic or sexual relationships between teacher and student or between coach and coachee.” Coach-athlete relationships are not even mentioned, but fall under the same policy. The coach-athlete relationship is more vulnerable to abuse because they spend a lot of time together – training and traveling far exceed time in the classroom.

This policy is outrageous. It does not take a stand for young athletes. Although a power imbalance affects men as well, in most situations men are in positions of power over women.

The University of Colorado system-wide policy on such relationships leaves the door open for coaches or professors to enter into a relationship. They require that once a relationship begins, it be disclosed so that the “evaluative authority” can be removed. In other words, we’ll let someone else supervise you. That can’t work in a coach-athlete relationship.

Any relationship between a person in a position of power and their subordinates must be prohibited. Two people must be equal for consent to be given. Consent cannot be given if the person has influence over your grades, playing time, scholarships, and future career. The power imbalance affects the ability of the less powerful party to give their consent freely. They may feel implicit or explicit pressure or an obligation to comply.

Students and athletes are afraid to report flirtatious behavior because they fear retaliation or negative consequences. In my experience, young athletes have not been taught how to respond to inappropriate behavior. Education in this area needs to be taken seriously.

It’s not enough for coaches to watch a short video once, or even once a year. Student-athletes should be able to trust that they are safe with the people their school hires. If they aren’t, they should be able to trust that their school has their back.

I think if there were clear policies against misconduct, women would have the opportunity to voice their opinions.

I have seen inappropriate comments that have made players laugh nervously. They obviously don’t think it’s OK, but they accept it as something men do. But I know from years of working with male colleagues that most men are not inappropriate. This behavior should not be tolerated and men should also speak up.

Without an absolute stance against these relationships, an unhealthy environment is created in which coaches and professors can use sexual comments to “test” a young woman’s tolerance for boundary violations. Not all sexual comments lead to sexual assault, but most sexual assaults begin with sexual comments.

Colorado State University has closed the door to such behavior. The CSU athletic department prohibits romantic relationships between its staff and student athletes. In the policy statement, CSU cites potential conflicts of interest, such as the authority coaches/staff have over athletes and how this severely limits their ability to say no and give consent. At CSU, coaches sign a contract prohibiting such relationships.

The NCAA released “Staying in Bounds” in 2012 to educate its member institutions about the inappropriateness of relationships between athletes and athletic department personnel. The first sentence of the nearly 40-page document (written by two women) states that “sexual relationships between coaches and athletes have become a serious problem and that member institutions must prohibit such relationships to ensure that athletic programs provide a safe and empowering experience for all student-athletes.”

It was written 12 years ago.