Playing by different rules: Male student-athletes aren’t held accountable for their actions
Originally published on Nov. 11, 2025, for The Optimist, a student publication of ACU.
Female athletes are held to higher behavioral standards compared to their male counterparts.
The NCAA does not automatically ban athletes from competing while being charged with a crime. Schools and individual programs make their own decisions regarding suspensions. Male student-athletes who commit crimes receive more grace and protection than female student-athletes.
Page 33 of the ACU Student-Athlete Handbook from 2024-2025 says, “Unfortunately, girls and women are disproportionately victimized, but sexual violence affects individuals of all genders. Athletics has a responsibility to foster culture change and promote campus safety by holding all members of the athletics department accountable for campus safety.”
In this statement, the athletic department condemns sexual harassment, but gives no elaboration on how they intend to hold athletes accountable if they are guilty of sexual harassment. The handbook does detail punishment and suspension protocols for testing positive on a drug test.
Football and men’s basketball generate a lot of revenue for schools. A player’s contribution to the success of their team is often prioritized over behavioral correction, accountability, and justice. Universities try to minimize reputational damage that comes from information about a player’s bad behavior being released to the public.
University of Washington football player Tylin “Tybo” Rogers was arrested and charged with raping two women. Before his arrest, the coaches were made aware of a report filed with Title IX in November of 2023. Even so, Rogers went on to play in the Sugar Bowl and National Championship Game in January of 2024.
Choosing to glorify an athlete for their performance and ignore the faults of their character contributes to the normalization of crimes like sexual violence.
Female student-athletes are more likely to face immediate suspension after facing criminal charges for arguably lesser offenses.
Ashlyn Watkins, forward for South Carolina, was suspended immediately when charged with first-degree assault and battery and kidnapping. She was allowed to return once the charges were dismissed.
Texas A&M basketball player Kayla Green was arrested for possession of marijuana and THC in the amount of less than 1 gram. Green and two of her teammates were suspended indefinitely from the team.
Female athletes’ offenses are highlighted in media and school statements.
Noriana Radwan played soccer for the University of Connecticut. While celebrating a conference championship victory, Radwan flipped off the camera. UConn immediately issued a press release calling the middle finger “unsportsmanlike” behavior. UConn suspended Radwan from the NCAA tournament and took away her full scholarship.
During a match-up between Oklahoma and Kansas in 2017, Baker Mayfield made an obscene gesture, grabbing his crotch while yelling at the Kansas sideline. He was suspended for the first quarter of the following game.
We should not let female student-athletes get away with bad behavior. That would make treatment between males and females equal, but it wouldn’t be just.
The punishments served by both male and female athletes should be reflective of the severity of their actions. For the sake of justice, but also to protect the future of the accused athletes as well.
In 2012, Johnny Manziel was arrested and pleaded guilty to failing to identify himself to police after a fight. Texas A&M originally suspended Manziel for the entire season until the head coach went back on his decision. Manziel won the Heisman that year. Four years later, Manziel was the subject of an alleged domestic assault against his ex-girlfriend. His unprofessional behavior and accusations of assault caused his professional career to end before it ever really started.
Uncorrected behavior keeps college players from learning that accountability and serious consequences exist in the professional world.
