In the last few years, I have had much conversation and consternation over the issue of secondary violations. As the rulebook expands, many of us have become masters at finding ways to stay within the rules while extorting the "spirit" of the law. What I have also recently discovered is that there are ways to believe one is staying within the spirit of the law while not following it to the letter. I believe that the reporting of secondary violations is a true test of the ethical foundation within our institutions. Can one truly be within the spirit of the rule when not following the law as written?

A secondary violation is just that. It is an infraction of a rule that is less substantial in nature than a major infraction. They are still violations, need to be addressed with appropriate sanctions, and forwarded to the appropriate governing bodies. The failure to acknowledge and tackle all three components is unethical.

There is no opportunity to "look the other way" because a compliance officer did not see it happen. It is not ethical to make the decision to deal with it internally as a personnel matter, and there is a lack of integrity, no matter how noble the concern, with wanting to protect an individual, program or institution from whatever discomfort may be associated with a violation being unveiled.

It is just that simple. Our rationalizations for any action other than the well-documented protocol is a reflection of our lack of courage, shaken integrity, or unwillingness to accept the consequences of our actions. A secondary violation is by definition not intentional. This in itself should uphold a valued employee’s character. The disclosing of the infraction upholds the program’s commitment to ethical standards, and displays institutional control increasingly invaluable to the institution’s reputation.

There is great honor in admitting one’s shortfalls. There is great respect when someone takes accountability for mistakes. The rulebook is egregiously thick. It is expected that secondary infractions occur. It is how we handle them, how we choose to respond that shows the true nature of our character. We preach this in the heat of the huddle, routinely in training; espouse it gloriously at awards banquets; and market it vigorously in our missions and values statements. Let us not forget that it is much farther-reaching than the field of play and that it should not become buried in our publications. It is in how we do our jobs each moment of every day.

The beauty of our principles as established is that we are to self-govern. We, as a collective group, historically were physical educators: a highly competent group with deep character entrenched in us through our athletic development. We are people who, by nature, hold ourselves accountable to a high degree of discipline and integrity. This ideal is an honor and it affords us a pivotal opportunity to truly educate our student-athletes. Let’s commit to live up to our own standard.