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Ethics and Compliance Programs

Aundi Sims

HRM522

Dr. Margie Hardwick

Strayer University

February 12, 2024

Ethics

Ethics is important in all fields. Ethics entails maintaining integrity, fairness, and respect (1). In sports, upholding ethical standards ensures the integrity of the game and the well-being of athletes, coaches, and fans. Scandals at universities like “Penn State, Ohio State, and the University of Arkansas” have shown the importance of ethics programs in collegiate athletics. These scandals show the consequences of ethical lapses within sports organizations. This paper shows the failures of the NCAA's ethics program in preventing scandals at these institutions and proposes measures for preventing similar incidents and for restoring trust within the collegiate sports community.

Failure of the NCAA’s ethics program

The purpose of the NCAA ethics program is to monitor for adherence to the established ethics (2). The NCAA’s Ethics program also lessens ethical violations by making sure that violators are punished appropriately. Nevertheless, on multiple times, this program has been unable to avert scandals that constitute a breach of ethical standards. For instance, allegations surfaced in 2011 surrounding an assistant coach at Penn State University who was believed to have sexually assaulted eight minor boys over an extended period. Additional investigation into this matter revealed that school officials knew about the assault but chose to do nothing. The NCAA ethics program should have intervened promptly and decisively to investigate and address such ethical violations.

Furthermore, athletes on the Ohio State football team violated NCAA rules by trading team equipment for cash and tattoos, leading to a scandal that violated NCAA ethics standards. The rules state that players cannot receive any benefit that is not made available to the public. Even though the head coach knew about the violations, he chose to stay silent. This should have prompted an immediate investigation and disciplinary action by the NCAA. Moreover, the head coach of the University of Arkansas football team was the subject of another scandal. The coach had a history of inappropriate behavior, including trying to have his supervisor fired and making a learner attend practice although the learner needed to attend a funeral. The coach was also involved in a motorbike accident which he lied about when the matter when investigated further. These incidents show that this coach is unqualified to be a head coach at any school. This is why, despite the NCCA's promise to enforce ethical norms, the program has been ineffective in preventing problems at multiple colleges.

Contributions of the NCAA's leadership in ethical violations

The failure of the NCAA leadership to take action to minimize the program's ethical provisions was a major contributing factor to the program's violation. The Penn State issue shows the NCAA's lack of thoroughness in investigating the assistant coach's alleged sexual assault. It is evident that the leadership of the NCAA was complacent since the assault had been going on for a long time. Meanwhile, the NCAA's leadership has shown its dedication to sanction-oriented ethics instead of retributive and corrective ethics by sanctioning Penn State University. Nevertheless, the Ohio State University controversy, in which a head coach covered up athlete violations of NCAA rules, shows that the NCAA leaders are hesitant to address unethical behavior in educational settings. The fact that Ohio State University's players continued to violate NCAA regulations proves that the organization's leadership did not act appropriately to stop the players from breaking the program's ethics. Another sign that the NCAA was hesitant to address the problems is the way the Arkansas University affair was overseen by the appropriate authorities and the leadership of the program. The head coach's prolonged and persistent disregard for NCAA regulations suggests that the NCAA did not take prompt action to stop the ethical standards from being violated.

What an effective ethics program could do

There could have been significant variations in how the problems were managed at Penn State, Ohio State, and the University of Arkansas if they had had an efficient ethics program in place. At Penn State, the presence of an effective ethics program would have resulted in immediate and thorough investigations into allegations of sexual assault by the assistant coach. The program would have facilitated a transparent inquiry. This would have ensured accountability for breaches of ethical standards. Such allegations would have resulted in prompt suspension of the accused coach and relevant authorities. This would have shown the institution's commitment to addressing wrongdoing and preventing further violations.

Moreover, an efficient ethics program at the University of Arkansas could have resulted in immediate action against the head coach following inappropriate behavior and dishonesty incidents. Upon discovering the coach's history of trying to have his supervisor fired and compelling a learner to attend practice despite a funeral obligation, the program would have suspended the coach pending further investigation. This action would have demonstrated a commitment to upholding ethical standards and ensuring accountability among leadership. It would also prevent subsequent violations of the program. Lastly, the presence of an effective ethics program at Ohio State University would have prevented the multiple violations of ethical standards committed by athletes and the head coach. Clear guidelines and monitoring mechanisms within the program would have deterred players from engaging in prohibited activities such as trading team equipment for cash and tattoos. Moreover, consequences for any breaches of NCAA provisions would have been enforced. In the case of the head coach's silence regarding the violations, the ethics program would have prompted immediate investigation and disciplinary action. This would have shown a lack of tolerance for ethical breaches.

Regaining trust and confidence

An action the NCAA’s leaders ought to implement to win back the trust of stakeholders and students is to redefine its institution and its leadership. This involves replacing complacent stakeholders and leaders with individuals who are committed to upholding ethical standards and prioritizing the well-being of athletes and the integrity of collegiate sports. This can be done by implementing transparent and merit-based selection processes for leadership positions (3). This will ensure that individuals with a history of ethical leadership and integrity are appointed. The NCAA should also engage with stakeholders, like student-athletes, coaches, universities, and the community to obtain feedback, address concerns, and rebuild trust through collaborative decision-making. Through this, the NCAA will show its dedication to moral leadership and win back the respect and confidence of stakeholders and students.

In addition, NCAA leaders should impose stringent sanctions against individuals who violate ethical standards. This involves acting against administrators, coaches, and athletes found to have committed ethical breaches, regardless of their position or influence within the organization. The NCAA should establish clear protocols and procedures for investigating allegations of misconduct, with no tolerance for unethical behavior. The NCAA should also impose stringent sanctions, including fines, suspensions, and bans, against individuals found guilty of violating ethical standards. This will show the NCAA's commitment to upholding ethical standards. It will also ensure confidence in the integrity of collegiate sports and rebuild trust among students and stakeholders.

HR's role in the prevention of similar incidents

Human resources departments should create and administer ethics training programs for administrators, coaches, and athletic personnel. These programs should address ethical decision-making, reporting processes for wrongdoing, and the consequences of unethical activity. These ethics training programs will ensure that employees understand and adhere to ethical standards in their daily activities (4). Through this, colleges and universities can empower individuals to recognize and prevent unethical behavior. Moreover, HR departments should establish reporting and accountability systems to enable employees to report instances of misconduct or ethical violations without fear of retaliation. This includes implementing anonymous reporting mechanisms, providing multiple channels for reporting, ensuring that reports are promptly and thoroughly investigated, and establishing clear disciplinary procedures and consequences for individuals found guilty of ethical breaches. This will ensure that individuals feel comfortable reporting misconduct and trust that appropriate action will be taken. This will deter future misconduct.

Conclusion

The Penn State, Ohio State, and the University of Arkansas’ scandals show the importance of ethics programs in collegiate athletics. These incidents show the consequences of ethical lapses within sports organizations. They diminish the trust and confidence of students and stakeholders. Nevertheless, redefining leadership, ensuring accountability, and prioritizing ethics education and reporting mechanisms can help institutions regain the trust and confidence of students and stakeholders. Moreover, human resources departments can prevent such incidents by implementing ethics training programs and establishing reporting and accountability systems. This will deter future ethical standards violations.

Sources

1. Andrews, S. 2023. Sports governance and ethics: Investigating global efforts to ensure fair play and integrity in sports. International Journal of Arts, Recreation and Sports, 2(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.47941/ijars.1520

2. Turpin, N., & Koven, S. G. 2019. Balancing athletic revenues with ethical behavior: Dilemma of NCAA. Public Organization Review, 20(2), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-019-00445-5

3. Constandt, B., Heres, L., Marlier, M., & Willem, A. 2020. A stakeholder perspective on ethical leadership in sport: Bridging the gap between the normative and descriptive lines of inquiry. Psychologica Belgica, 60(1), 381–395. https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.543

4. Kancharla, R., & Dadhich, A. 2020. Perceived ethics training and workplace behavior: The mediating role of perceived ethical culture. European Journal of Training and Development, 45(1), 53–73. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejtd-03-2020-0045

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