The NCAA on Thursday announced it is actively engaged in the Bad Actor Program. The initiative is aimed at identifying and addressing abusive, threatening and harassing behavior directed at athletes, coaches and officials through social media and other online platforms.
The association said it is the first sport governing body to publicly announce its participation. It said the move underscores its continued commitment to protecting the well-being of college sports participants. The NCAA is collaborating with Signify, Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) and other stakeholders to pursue and report identified abusers as part of monitoring across NCAA championships, the association said.
The Bad Actor Program was established by IC360 and Signify Group, with Fanatics Sportsbook as the first sportsbook to partner with the program, according to the NCAA. The program combines social media monitoring and investigative capabilities to identify people responsible for abusive online behavior. It provides 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. Baker said the NCAA has led efforts to better understand and address online harassment. He said the association is committed to working with stakeholders across the sports betting ecosystem and is proud to support new tools that increase accountability for those who target student-athletes, coaches and officials.
The collaboration builds on work that began in 2023, when the association teamed with Signify Group to monitor online abuse during NCAA championships. Findings released in 2024 provided one of the first comprehensive analyses of harassment directed at college sports participants and informed expanded monitoring, the NCAA said.
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. That share increased to 19% in men’s basketball.
One student-athlete received more than 1,400 abusive messages in less than two weeks, the NCAA said. Of all verified abuse identified in the study, 80% was directed at March Madness participants. 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. The study also found that 46% reported receiving negative or threatening messages from someone who had bet on their game.
Clint Hangebrauck, NCAA managing director of enterprise risk management, said online harassment monitoring and student-athlete surveys have provided data on the volume, nature and sources of online abuse, particularly harassment tied to sports betting activity. He said that work has supported reporting and enforcement actions when threatening conduct has been identified. Hangebrauck said the association will continue its work with Signify and other stakeholders to monitor online harassment across NCAA championships and looks forward to using the Bad Actor Program to strengthen accountability and further protect college sports from threats and abuse.
The NCAA said it also collaborates with Venmo to identify and disrupt betting-related threats and harassment directed at student-athletes on the platform. The work includes a dedicated reporting hotline, a student-athlete safety best practices guide, account support and user education.
The association has also engaged in education and awareness efforts through its Draw the Line campaign, including a public service announcement called “Don’t Be a Loser.” The announcement calls attention to harassment directed at student-athletes by individuals frustrated over betting outcomes.
The NCAA described participation in the Bad Actor Program as the next step in its broader effort to address online harassment. The association said it aims to help deter conduct that negatively affects student-athletes, coaches and officials and to reinforce expectations for respectful engagement in college sports. The NCAA did not say how many people have been identified or banned under the program.