USASF Professional Responsibility Code 2019-2020 9.0 | Page 29

1. Verbal behaviors that:
a. attack a participant personally (e.g., calling them
worthless, fat, or disgusting); or
b. repeatedly and excessively yelling at a particular
participant or participants in a manner that serves no
productive motivational purpose;
2. Physically aggressive behaviors, such as
a. throwing sport equipment, water bottles, or chairs at or
near participants; or
b. punching walls, windows, or other objects; and
3. Acts that deny attention and support, such as ignoring a
participant for extended periods of time, or routinely or
arbitrarily excluding participants from practice or training.
While a single incident of any of the above behaviors may be
inappropriate and justify a review and/or disciplinary or other action
by the U.S. All Star Federation or any of its Member Programs, such
behaviors would typically not constitute emotional abuse unless a
pattern of such conduct had occurred.
Constructive criticism about an athlete’s performance is not
emotional abuse or misconduct. Further, emotional abuse does not
include generally-accepted and age appropriate coaching methods of
skill enhancement, physical conditioning, motivation, team building,
appropriate discipline, or improving athletic performance.
A U.S. All Star Federation member who engages in any act of
emotional abuse is subject to appropriate disciplinary action
including but not limited to suspension, permanent suspension, and/
or referral to law enforcement authorities.
Note: Bullying, threats, harassment, and hazing, defined in the next
section, often involve some form of emotional misconduct.
BULLYING, THREATS & HARASSMENT
POLICY
The U.S. All Star Federation supports an environment that is free
from threats, harassment, and any type of bullying behavior. The
purpose of this Policy is to promote consistency of approach and
to help create a climate in which all types of bullying, harassing or
threatening behavior are regarded as unacceptable.
Bullying
Bullying is the use of coercion to obtain control over another person
or to be habitually cruel to another person. Bullying involves an
intentional, persistent or repeated pattern of committing or willfully
tolerating physical and non-physical behaviors that are intended to
cause fear, humiliation, or physical harm in an attempt to socially
exclude, diminish, or isolate another person.
Bullying can occur through written, verbal or electronically
transmitted expression or by means of a physical act or gesture.
Bullying behavior is prohibited in any manner in connection with any
U.S. All Star Federation sanctioned activities or events.
Examples of bullying prohibited by this Policy include, without
limitation, physical behaviors, including punching, kicking or
choking; and verbal and emotional behaviors, including, the use of
electronic communications (i.e. , “cyber bullying”), to harass, frighten,
degrade, intimidate or humiliate. Bullying does not include group or
team behaviors that are reasonably designed to establish normative
team behaviors or promote team cohesion.
Threats
A threat to harm others is defined as any written, verbal, physical or
electronically transmitted expression of intent to physically injure
or harm someone else. A threat may be communicated directly to
the intended victim or communicated to a third party. Threatening
behavior is prohibited in any manner in connection with any U.S. All
Star Federation sanctioned activities or events.
Any U.S. All Star Federation participant or parent of a participant
who engages in any act of threatening or harassing behavior is
Examples of emotional abuse prohibited by this Policy include,
without limitation: a pattern of
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