Tallahassee Ultimate League Supplemental Player Conduct Policy

 

• Ultimate is a non-contact disc sport (USAU 11th Edition Rules I. A. emphasis added).

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• Spirit of the Game: Spirit of the Game: Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent intimidation, intentional infractions, or other win-at-all-costs behavior are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players. (USAU 11th Edition Rules I. B. emphasis added)

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• Reckless disregard for the safety of fellow players or other dangerously aggressive behavior (such as significantly colliding into a stationary opponent), regardless of whether or when the disc arrives or when contact occurs is considered dangerous play and is treated as a foul.  This rule is not superseded by any other rule.   

  • If no contact occurs there is no callable dangerous play.  Contact need not be severe.

  • The proper call in this case is “Dangerous Play” the caller should then briefly explain the grounds for the call.  This call trumps any foul rules and should be used in situations where the play presented serious risk of injury. (USAU 11th Edition Rules XVI. H. 4.)

 

Intent

It is the intent of this policy to add supplemental conduct rules to govern play during Tallahassee Ultimate League.  Nothing in this policy is intended to supersede the 11th Edition, nor prevent a player from utilizing the “Dangerous Play” foul call.

 

Policy

This policy sets forth a process that governs an instance in which a player/players engages in an action or actions that any TUL captain or board member deems:

• Is likely to cause harm to players on the field, or is done so in disregard to player safety.

• Is in deliberate violation of any USAU Rule or League Rule/Policy

• Is in violation of Spirit of the Game

 

Upon any such action occurring, the captain or board member has the following course of actions available to them:

1. Upon the first infraction, speak with the player and/or their captain, alerting them of the action/violation and reminding them it is their obligation to abide by the above-mentioned rules.

2. Upon any additional infraction, the captain or board member shall – at their discretion – alert the League Chair or Co-Chair (or any board member if neither are present/available) of the situation.

3. In the instance that this occurs, the Board shall consider the following punishments for this continued violation of the rules of the game:

   1. Suspending the player/players for the remainder of the ongoing game

   2. Suspending the player/players for one or more future league games

   3. Banning the player/players from playing in Tallahassee Ultimate League.

   4. Other measures as deemed appropriate by the Tallahassee Ultimate Board.

 

In the event that the action/actions are so egregious that an immediate Board Meeting is required, all Board Members present at league shall meet as expediently as possible to discuss the situation and determine if any additional immediate action is necessary.

 

Captains of player/players causing the action in violation of the Rules or this policy also retain the right to request the player apologize to any other league member effected by their actions/play, and may instruct the player to adjust their behavior and/or require the player refrain from playing for a certain number of points, or time period.

 

The Board shall consult with captains of both teams involved in play when the infracting actions occurred before making any decision to suspend a player/players via this process.

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Violence Policy

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Tallahassee Ultimate League is strongly committed to the protection of our players from violence. It is crucial that no player should feel unsafe when they play in league. To that end, should any individual be convicted of a violent offense outside of league, the TUL board will endeavor to ban that individual from participation in any TUL sponsored activities. Should any league members feel unsafe during league play or sponsored events, they should alert one or more members of the board so that appropriate action can be taken.