Participation builds on ongoing efforts to monitor, identify and respond to online abuse directed at student-athletes, coaches and officials
The NCAA announced today it is actively engaged in the Bad Actor Program, an initiative aimed at identifying and addressing abusive, threatening and harassing behavior directed at athletes, coaches and officials through social media and other online platforms.
The NCAA is the first sport governing body to publicly announce its participation in the program, underscoring its continued commitment to protecting the well-being of college sports participants. The Association is collaborating with Signify, Integrity Compliance 360 and other key stakeholders to aggressively pursue and report identified abusers as part of monitoring across NCAA Championships.
The Bad Actor Program, established by IC360 and Signify Group with Fanatics Sportsbook as the first sportsbook to partner with the program and take a leading role, combines social media monitoring and investigative capabilities to identify individuals responsible for abusive online behavior and provide participating organizations with information that can support accountability measures, including banning individuals from participating betting platforms.
“Athlete harassment has no place in college sports,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said. “The NCAA is committed to working with stakeholders across the sports betting ecosystem to eradicate this horrific behavior that plagues sports far too often, and that is why the NCAA is the first sport governing body to participate in the Bad Actor Program. The NCAA has led efforts to better understand and address online harassment, and we are proud to support new tools that increase accountability for those who target student-athletes, coaches and officials.”
Collaborating with Signify and IC360 on the Bad Actor Program builds on work that began in 2023 when the Association teamed up with Signify Group to monitor online abuse during NCAA Championships.
Findings released in 2024 provided one of the first comprehensive analyses of the scope of harassment directed at college sports participants and informed expanded monitoring efforts. The Association’s first online abuse study identified more than 5,000 verified abusive, discriminatory or threatening social media posts directed at championship participants.
Sports betting was directly linked to 12% of all verified abuse, a figure that increased to 19% in men’s basketball. One student-athlete received more than 1,400 abusive messages in less than two weeks. Eighty percent of all verified abuse identified in the study was directed at March Madness participants, and women’s basketball student-athletes received approximately three times more threats than men’s basketball student-athletes.
The NCAA’s 2025 GOALS study separately found that 51% of Division I men’s basketball student-athletes reported receiving social media abuse tied to their athletics performance, while 46% reported receiving negative or threatening messages from someone who had bet on their game.
“Online harassment monitoring and student-athlete surveys have provided crucial data on the volume, nature and sources of online abuse — particularly harassment tied to sports betting activity — and have supported reporting and enforcement actions when threatening conduct has been identified,” said Clint Hangebrauck, NCAA managing director of enterprise risk management. “The Association will continue its work with Signify and other stakeholders to monitor online harassment across NCAA Championships, and we look forward to leveraging the Bad Actor Program to strengthen accountability and further protect college sports from threats and abuse.”
The NCAA also collaborates with Venmo to identify and disrupt betting-related threats and harassment directed at student-athletes on the platform. This includes a dedicated reporting hotline, student-athlete safety best practices guide, account support and broader user education.
Additionally, the Association has engaged in expansive education and awareness efforts through its Draw the Line campaign, including the “Don’t Be a Loser” public service announcement, which calls attention to harassment directed at student-athletes by individuals frustrated over betting outcomes.
Participation in the Bad Actor Program represents the next step in the NCAA’s broader effort to address online harassment. By supporting increased information sharing and accountability across the sports ecosystem, the Association aims to help deter conduct that negatively affects student-athletes, coaches and officials and reinforce expectations for respectful engagement in college sports.
To learn more about the NCAA’s efforts to address sports betting harms and protect student-athlete well-being and competition integrity, visit ncaa.org/DrawTheLine.
