When does sports practice crosses line into abuse?

In the wake of the Northwestern University football hazing scandal, a striking but different sort of allegation nearly got lost in the shuffle.

A female volleyball player at Northwestern claims that her head coach punished her by singling her out for harsh drills in front of the team and coaches.

The drills in question are common. But in both cases, the player was the only one forced to participate as alleged punishment, while the rest of the team and coaches watched. The allegations raise questions about when hard or harsh practice drills cross the line into harmful or abusive behavior.

One prominent retired coach, former U.S. women’s Olympics coach Terry Liskevych, said it’s hard to judge the situation without knowing all the facts. But such drills are commonplace, he said, and typically, “It’s not a punishment.”

While the drills are common, the circumstances were not. The suit, which had not yet been filed in court Friday, came following lawsuits by football players claiming they were subject to sexualized hazing in the locker room that had gone on for years. Football coach Pat Fizgerald and baseball coach Jim Foster, who was accused of bullying, were relieved of their duties.

In the volleyball case, in February 2021, the player, identified anonymously in the suit as Jane Doe 1, was told to do a “coach on one,” in which coach Shane Davis repeatedly “blasted” balls toward her that she had to return.

The next month, in a punishment chosen by team captains, the player had to run “suicides,” grueling sprints back and forth across the court, while diving on the floor at every line.

Some researchers who study abusive behavior say singling out a player for harsh and dangerous treatment are key elements that make drills out of line.

The “suicides” were “punishment,” the player said, for her contracting COVID-19, forcing the team to pause the program, even though she said she followed the pandemic protocols. The running drills were said to be used against players for minor rules infractions.

In this case, the player said she got hurt while diving on the floor, requiring medical attention. She reported the incident to the school, which temporarily suspended the coach while investigating.

The suit also claimed that the coach threatened to withdraw the player’s athletic scholarship unless she improved, forced her to write a letter of apology to trainers, and no longer allowed the player to travel with the team.

[ Fallout at Northwestern: What to know about the football hazing scandal, firing of Pat Fitzgerald — and what’s next for the university ]

In December 2022, the player “medically retired.” School officials concluded that the incidents amounted to hazing, the player said, but other than a team meeting to discuss the culture of the team in 2022, she did not know of anything being done about it.

Northwestern confirmed that a student alleged hazing on the volleyball team in March 2021. The school suspended…