AD Professional Standards & Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A coach is accused of verbal abuse by multiple student-athletes. The AD's ethical obligation under Title IX and professional standards is to:
- Allow the team to resolve the issue internally
- Conduct a prompt and thorough investigation (Correct answer)
- Transfer the coach to a lower-profile program
- Issue a verbal warning without documentation
Correct answer: Conduct a prompt and thorough investigation
Athletic directors must promptly investigate harassment and abuse allegations to fulfill Title IX obligations and professional standards of care.
Question 2: Which describes a situation that would most clearly constitute a breach of fiduciary duty by an athletic director?
- Declining a gift from a donor to avoid a conflict of interest
- Using departmental funds to pay personal travel expenses (Correct answer)
- Implementing a cost-cutting measure that reduces staff
- Allocating more resources to a revenue-generating sport
Correct answer: Using departmental funds to pay personal travel expenses
Using departmental funds for personal expenses directly violates the fiduciary duty to act in the organization's best financial interest.
Question 3: The concept of 'ethical leadership' in athletic administration most directly requires an AD to:
- Adopt a win-at-all-costs philosophy to demonstrate results
- Model the values and conduct expected of all department staff (Correct answer)
- Avoid difficult decisions that might alienate stakeholders
- Prioritize donor relationships above all other duties
Correct answer: Model the values and conduct expected of all department staff
Ethical leaders model the behavior they expect from others, setting the tone for the entire athletic department's culture.
Question 4: When an AD learns that a student-athlete has been improperly steered into academic courses to maintain eligibility, the first step should be to:
- Ignore it if the athlete is academically progressing
- Report it to institutional academic and compliance officials (Correct answer)
- Advise the coach to stop the practice quietly
- Consult legal counsel before taking any action
Correct answer: Report it to institutional academic and compliance officials
Academic fraud related to eligibility must be reported to both academic integrity and compliance officials to address the violation properly.
Question 5: Under professional ethical standards, how should an AD handle media pressure to reveal confidential disciplinary proceedings against a student-athlete?
- Release the information to avoid appearing secretive
- Uphold confidentiality while acknowledging the process is ongoing (Correct answer)
- Deny any proceedings to protect the program's image
- Delay responding until legal counsel approves every statement
Correct answer: Uphold confidentiality while acknowledging the process is ongoing
Professional standards require maintaining confidentiality of disciplinary matters while communicating that proper procedures are being followed.
Question 6: An athletic director who tailors disciplinary consequences based on an athlete's importance to the team is violating which ethical principle?
- Beneficence
- Consistency and equal application of rules (Correct answer)
- Stakeholder loyalty
- Institutional autonomy
Correct answer: Consistency and equal application of rules
Rules must be applied consistently regardless of an athlete's status; unequal enforcement violates the principle of fairness.
Question 7: A prospective donor offers a large gift contingent on the AD hiring the donor's relative as an assistant coach. The ethically correct response is to:
- Hire the relative and disclose the arrangement after the fact
- Decline the condition and follow standard hiring procedures (Correct answer)
- Accept the gift and conduct a nominal search
- Consult the coach to determine if the candidate is qualified
Correct answer: Decline the condition and follow standard hiring procedures
Accepting a gift contingent on a hiring decision constitutes a quid pro quo arrangement that violates ethical hiring standards and anti-nepotism policies.
AD Professional Standards & Ethics 3
A coach is accused of verbal abuse by multiple student-athletes.
The AD's ethical obligation under Title IX and professional standards is to: