APPENDIX ‘P’
GHSA FINES STRUCTURE FOR RULES VIOLATIONS
In accordance with Section 13 of Article IV of the Constitution of the Georgia High School Association, member schools are required to abide by all the rules of the Association.
The Executive Director of the Association is empowered to make a determination as to whether a violation of GHSA rules has occurred, and to assess an appropriate penalty that may include:
- a fine of not more than $2,500.00 per offense, and/or
- probation in the sport(s) in which the violation occurred, and/or
- suspension from the Association for up to a full calendar year, and/or
- forfeiture of games and/or contests.
Pursuant to such authority, the Georgia High School Association, by and through its Executive Director and with the approval of the GHSA Executive Committee, implements and publishes the following ranges of fines for certain designated offenses. Such fines are in addition to the other penalties set forth above. The amount of such fines and the imposition of other penalties shall be determined by the Executive Director upon consideration of the facts and circumstances of the violation and shall include, but not be limited to, the following factors:
- Whether the violation was the result of carelessness, willfulness, or ignorance.
- The length of time the violation continued.
- Whether the offense was self-reported or resulted from a complaint by another school, and the extent of cooperation by school officials in the investigation of the violation.
- The number of violations involved.
- The result of the violation (i.e.:
- injury to a person
- financial gain of the offending school or financial loss to another school and the amount thereof
- damage to the reputation of the GHSA
- whether the violation substantially contributed to winning or losing a game or contest
- Whether the school involved has had similar or other violations within the past three (3) years.
- Any other factors deemed by the Executive Director to merit a more or less severe fine and/or penalty.
The list of violations set forth in this listing in not all-inclusive, and if a violation of rules occurs which is not listed herein, then the Executive Director shall have the authority to assess penalties that he deems appropriate.
In addition to the listed fines and penalties, the Executive Director may issue a severe warning to a member school which places the school on notice that further violations of GHSA rules will result in increased fines and/or penalties.
ELIGIBILITY VIOLATIONS
| VIOLATION | RANGE OF FINES |
|---|---|
| Allowing a player to participate in a game without having an eligibility form filed with the GHSA [By-law 2.32] | $50.00 - $500.00 |
| Allowing a player to try-out, practice, or compete without having a standardized physical examination form on file at the school. [By-laws 1.41 and 2.21] |
$250.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Allowing a “migrant” student to participate in a varsity contest. [By-laws 1.62-1.69] |
$200.00 - $500.00 |
| Allowing an ineligible student to try-out, practice, or compete. [By-laws 1.51 - 1.53, 1.56 and 1.58] |
$200.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Allowing a student who is not eligible by the age rule or the 8-semester rule to try-out, practice, or participate. [By-law 1.30 and 1.42] |
$300.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Violation of the “sit-out rule” following an ejection. [By-law 2.72] |
$200.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Violation of the 8th-grade participation rule. [By-law 1.45] | $250.00 - $750.00 |
SPORTSMANSHIP VIOLATIONS
| VIOLATION | RANGE OF FINES |
|---|---|
| Have a coach or player ejected from a competition. [By-law 2.72] | $250.00 - $500.00 |
| Substitutes leave the bench area to go to the area of a fight during a contest. [By-law 2.71] | $250.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Players, coaches or administrators behave in an unsporting manner before or after a contest. [By-law 2.71(b)&(e) & 2.78] | $250.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Coach or player confronting (or making contact with) official(s) or committing other unsporting acts. [By-law 2.73, 2.77 & 2.78] | $250.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Having players involved in a multi-player fight before, during, or after a game. [By-law 2.71(d)] | $500.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Coach or administrator removing team from a competition outside of what is allowed in playing rules. [By-law 2.71(f)] | $500.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Violation of video taping rules [By-law 2.88] | $500.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Make comments to the media that are critical of officiating [By-law 2.74] | $250.00 - $ 500.00 |
ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATIONS
| VIOLATION | RANGE OF FINES |
|---|---|
| Hold an illegal practice (i.e., during school hours, out of season, etc.) or violation of practice safety rules [By-laws 2.61, 2.62. 2.67 and 2.69] | $500.00 - $2,500.00 |
| Participate in an illegal or an unsanctioned competition. [By-laws 2.62, 2.64, 2.66 and 2.91] | $200.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Allow an unauthorized person to coach [By-laws 2.51 and 2.52] | $250.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Failure to follow GHSA procedures and deadlines [By-laws 2.27, 2.31 and 2.53] | $50.00 - $250.00 |
| Failure to keep an appointment for an eligibility appeal [By-law 2.28] | $100.00 |
| Allowing a player to exceed the participation limit for that sport: [By-law 1.44] Football All other sports |
$1,000.00 $200.00 - $1,000.00 |
| Failure to exert reasonable institution control (with players, coaches, spectators, facilities, etc.) [By-laws 2.22-2.24, 2.26 and 2.71] | $250.00 - $2,500.00 |
| Failure to meet conditions of game contracts and agreements [By-laws 2.29 and 2.63] (NOTE: This could also involve restitution to offended school) | $250.00 - $2,500.00 |
| Failure of coaches to attend GHSA sport rules clinics [By-law 2.54] | $100.00 |
| Allowing a non-student to try out, practice or compete. [By-law 1.21] | $250.00 - $2,000.00 |
ETHICS VIOLATIONS
| VIOLATION | RANGE OF FINES |
|---|---|
| School personnel/boosters involved in recruiting a student for athletic purposes and/or using undue influence to gain or retain a student. [By-laws 1.71 - 1.73] | $1,000.00 - $2,500.00 |
| Misrepresenting facts on a GHSA document. [By-laws 2.23 and 2.24] | $500.00 - $2,500.00 |
| Misrepresenting facts during a GHSA investigation. [By-laws 2.23 and 2.24] | $500.00 - $2,500.00 |
MISCELLANEOUS VIOLATIONS
| VIOLATION | RANGE OF FINES |
|---|---|
| Violation of financial aid rules [By-laws 1.81 - 1.83] | $1,000.00 - $2,500.00 |
| Violation of amateur standing rules {By-laws 1.90 - 1.96] | $500.00 - $2,000.00 |
| Region failing to follow GHSA procedures and deadlines [By-laws 3.20 and 3.30] | $100.00 - $500.00 |