By: Katie Jean*
Abstract
Outsiders see college athletics as a privileged environment. Student-athletes receive scholarships, monetized fame, and a chance to compete professionally. However, outsiders often do not see the dark side of competing in college sports. Egregious cases of Title IX-related sexual abuse in college sports sometimes draw national attention. However, other forms of physical and emotional abuse plaguing athletic programs never leave the athletic department.
Student-athletes stay silent because the current structure of college sports provides scarce protections. The NCAA, created to safeguard student-athlete welfare, refuses to address coaching abuse. Instead, the NCAA has given institutions responsibility over coaching conduct. Institutions misuse their self-governance power to protect abusive coaches because of their financial value. Institutional willingness to cover up abuse renders coaches untouchable and student-athletes powerless. When the disregard for student-athlete safety goes too far, it leads to preventable deaths, as in the case of University of Maryland football player Jordan McNair.
Maryland legislators enacted a law to change the culture of intercollegiate athletics, which often insulates abusive coaches. Maryland is the only state with a law protecting student-athletes and providing institutional oversight. This Comment analyzes the current structure of intercollegiate athletics and its failure to protect student-athletes from abuse that does not fall squarely into Title IX. The analysis reveals a regulatory gap that Maryland legislation sought to fill. This Comment argues for state-level oversight of college athletic programs to curtail coaching abuse. Additionally, this Comment proposes statutory provisions states should implement to protect student-athlete educational and athletic opportunities and hold institutions accountable.
* J.D. Candidate, The Pennsylvania State University School of Law, 2025.