College Rumors, hearsay & toxic behaviors outside practice

[ValentineB]

I coach D3. The majority of my team are sophomores and the season has just started. I run a strict practice and have not seen any concerning behaviors among my team. No rude or demeaning words & no superiority or power trips. However, I am hearing rumors about toxic behavior regarding teammates outside of practice. I have had multiple meetings one-on-one and in small groups to facilitate conversations and emphasize my behavior expectations. This seems to give short-term results because within a couple weeks I am hearing of new toxic behaviors. How do other coaches address this and put it to rest in the long term?

 

[Coach P]

I actually logged in today because I was hoping to read responses to this post. I am a high school coach and we deal with this also. But I assumed it was immaturity/age of our girls fueling this. Still going in in college? That's tough. Especially if you don't see it in your practices.

 

[ValentineB]

I actually logged in today because I was hoping to read responses to this post. I am a high school coach and we deal with this also. But I assumed it was immaturity/age of our girls fueling this. Still going in in college? That's tough. Especially if you don't see it in your practices.

I didn't expect this either. I've never seen anything like it. I've coached middle schoolers with less problems

 

[Coach P]

I have to say - I am still surprised at the number of athletes in high school the last few years who lack grit. I don't think sports are Everything, but how can you get through youth cheer for several years and then come to high school expecting it to be easier? Or expect a bad attitude to be something that coaches overlook? WILD!
Dealing with toxic behavior on our teams, I don't think this is something a coach can or should attempt to solve entirely. Do football coaches manage interpersonal relationships on their teams? Probably not. Ideally, athletes leave all that at the door and focus solely on the task at hand. I know there is a huge trust element in cheer/stunting. Maybe all we can do is reprimand and reward what we see in those few hours a day that we have them right in front of us. Perhaps that will naturally weed out those determined to cause problems.
I'm not sure this is the answer - just talking it through.