SAN ANTONIO — On Tuesday, the University of Texas at San Antonio athletic department announced a comprehensive zero-tolerance policy for serious misconduct involving student-athletes. The university worked with Brenda Tracy, a sexual assault survivor, public speaker and founder of the national campaign and nonprofit called SetTheExpectation to develop the Tracy Rule.
According to the university, the rule states that:
A current or prospective student-athlete who has been convicted of, pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony or misdemeanor involving Serious Misconduct, has been found a delinquent in relationship to a juvenile code equivalent, or has been disciplined by the university or athletic department at any time during enrollment at any collegiate institution (excluding temporary disciplinary action during an investigation) due to Serious Misconduct shall not be eligible for athletically related financial aid, practice or competition at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
In a release, UTSA said it's the first university in the nation to implement the Tracy Rule, the most comprehensive Serious Misconduct rule in the NCAA. The rule is effective this semester.
"Sexual assault and misconduct are never, ever acceptable," UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos said in the release . "By implementing the UTSA Tracy Rule, we are letting current and prospective student-athletes know that UTSA is a community where conduct off the field is just as important as conduct on the field. This is an impactful milestone for intercollegiate athletics, and we are honored to be the first to collaborate with Brenda in this way to stand up to sexual assault and misconduct."
Tracy has traveled the country for the past three years sharing her story as the survivor of a 1998 gang rape by football players. She visited UTSA's campus multiple times in 2019 and met with student-athletes, coaches and staff.
This fall, each new student-athlete also signed the pledge, as will continue to be the case with each new student-athlete joining UTSA's program, a spokesperson for UTSA said.
The Roadrunners have designated the November 16 football home game against Southern Mississippi as a #SetTheExpectation game to support Tracy's awareness campaign.