NCHSAA SPORTSMANSHIP
& EJECTION POLICY

This page contains the NCHSAA ejection policy as well as the ejection form to be completed by the official when a player or coach is ejected from a contest.  The form is to be completed within 24 hours of the contest. 

SPORTSMANSHIP/EJECTION POLICY - The policy applies to all persons involved in an athletic contest, including student-athletes, coaches, managers and game administrators.  The following examples include behavior or conduct which will result in an ejection from a contest:

1.  Fighting, which includes, but is not limited to, combative acts such as:

• an attempt to strike an opponent with a fist, hands, arms, legs or feet

• an attempt to punch or kick an opponent, regardless of whether or not contact is made

• an attempt to instigate a fight by committing an unsportsmanlike act toward an opponent that causes an opponent to retaliate

• leaving the bench area to participate in a fight (contact or no contact)

• Spitting on or biting an opponent

2.  Taunting or baiting

3.  Profanity, directed toward an official or opponent

4.  Obscene gestures, including gesturing in such a manner as to intimidate

5.  Disrespectfully addressing or contacting an official

Penalty for an ejection for the above five reasons:

Football - ejection from the contest; miss the next contest at that level and contests in the interim

All other sports - ejection from the contest; miss the next two contests at that level and all contests in the interim

INDIVIDUALS:  Players receiving two ejections for unacceptable behavior as defined above will be suspended from all sports for the reminder of that sport season. Receiving a third ejection in a school year will result in suspension from athletics for one calendar year (365 days from the date of the third ejection).

TEAMS:  Teams in the following situations will not be allowed to participate in the playoffs

• A team whose players and coaches accumulate six or more individual ejections during the regular season

• A team whose players and coaches accumulate more than three individual ejections for fighting during the regular season (note:  if a situation occurs where six players on one team are ejected during one fighting incident, those individual ejections will cause the team to lose its playoff privileges)

Penalties are cumulative from sport to sport and from sport season to sport season, but not academic year to academic year.  Ejections in the last game of the season carry over to the next sport season which the individual participates that year.,  Ejected players may practice during their suspensions, but may not play.  Ejected coaches may not be on the premises for a contest.  If no member of the school's coaching staff is present to assume the ejected coach's duties, the contest is terminated by a forfeit.

INTERPRETATION:  If a player, coach or game administrator is ejected from a contest, he/she will have to sit out the next two contests (exception:  football - he/she will have to sit out the next contest) at that level of competition AND all other athletic contests during the interim.

Anytime a student/coach is ejected from a game/meet, he/she does not participate/coach the remainder of that day/  The student/coach is also suspended from the next two scheduled, rescheduled or contracted date at that level of competition and all games/meets in the interim at other levels of competition.

The coach is not permitted to be at the game site during his/her suspension, but the student is allowed at the game site.

CLARIFICATION: 

For wrestling, track, tennis, golf, cross-country and swimming:  Any individual ejected from an individual event, individual tournament or multiple sport event may not participate for the remainder of the event (enter day(s) of competition or tournament) from which he or she was ejected.  Additionally, the individual may not participate in the next two scheduled events or any other events, in any sport, at any level, in the interim.  In dual team wrestling playoffs, one night of competition is actually two rounds-- if a wrestler is ejected from a dual team tournament, he has to sit out the entire match.

For football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball and baseball:  Any individual ejected from a team competition or team event, may not participate in the remainder of that competition (day(s) of competition) and may not participate in the next two regularly scheduled (next date) competition in that sport or any other sport, at any level, in the interim.

REMINDER:  An ejection is a judgment call, therefore, there are NO appeals.  If a wrong player is identified, a correction can be made.

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