CONNY Sportsmanship Committee Proceedings
The proceedings of the CONNY Sportsmanship Committee are independent from, but related to, CONNY Bylaws Article Twelve—Grievance & Disciplinary Proceedings (CONNY Bylaws). A party that disagrees with a Sportsmanship Committee action retains the right to initiate a full Article Twelve Grievance Proceeding.
Complaints about unsportsmanlike or inappropriate behavior by a player, coach, game official, or spectator at a CONNY game or event must be lodged ONLY by a CONNY-member organization and addressed ONLY to the CONNY Sportsmanship Committee, except as provided below. Complaints must not be made directly by or to coaches, players, parents, or game officials.
To initiate a sportsmanship complaint, an individual should contact their local youth program’s (or officials’ organization’s) leadership. If their leadership supports the complaint, the organization's CONNY Representative will deliver a detailed written Sportsmanship Incident Report to the Chairman of the CONNY Sportsmanship Committee (ex officio, the immediate Past President of CONNY) within four (4) days of the occurrence of the incident or of obtaining knowledge of the incident on which the complaint is based. Only in the event that the individual's program leadership refuses to support the complaint, or the complaint is against their own program, should an individual lodge their complaint directly with the Sportsmanship Committee (such situations may be better addressed with an Article Twelve CONNY Grievance Proceeding).
A Sportsmanship Incident Report should include as much relevant information and detail as possible, including the date, time, location, specific teams involved in the incident; the names and contact information of as many of the involved individuals as possible ... coaches, officials, witnesses; etc. The report may suggest a desired remedy, which shall not bind the Sportsmanship Committee.
The Sportsmanship Committee will conduct a preliminary inquiry to determine if there are grounds for an in-depth investigation. If they find that such grounds exist, the Sportsmanship Committee will interview involved individuals named in the Sportsmanship Incident Report and others identified in the course of the investigation, and collect other relevant evidence. The accused individual will have every opportunity to respond and present their side of the incident, and will have the right to retain counsel, if they so choose. For complaints involving coaches, any failure to have completed CONNY-required coaching training will, at least partially, reduce the credibility of their testimony.
The Sportsmanship Committee will prepare a written determination of the facts and will recommend a course of action, including appropriate disciplinary action, if required. If all parties agree to the facts and the recommended course of action, it will be implemented and the matter will end there. If not, the matter will be referred to the CONNY Executive Committee for a binding ruling, which will be reported to the full CONNY Board of Directors at their next meeting.
