Reed Wainwright | Strength, Conditioning, and the Law: A Conversation on Professional Standards

Do you know your legal blind spots? Attorney and former collegiate strength coach Reed Wainwright explores how legal expertise reinforces professional standards in strength and conditioning. Wainwright has been instrumental in developing NSCA resources that help professionals mitigate the inherent risks associated with athletics. He highlights key areas — such as facility safety, equipment management, and emergency preparedness — that help coaches effectively advocate for their athletes and protect their careers. Emphasizing professionalism, Wainwright notes, "the more professional we act, the more professional we're perceived.” He underscores why enhancing public perception is crucial for improving compensation, overcoming stereotypes, and supporting long-term field growth. Wainwright also reflects on how his precise, methodical approach as a strength coach has translated seamlessly into his legal practice. Discover actionable strategies to help minimize risk, stay protected, and elevate the strength and conditioning profession.

Contact with Reed via email at reed@wainwrightattorney.com and on LinkedIn: @reed-wainwright | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs and LinkedIn: @ericmcmahoncscs

Review the NSCA Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and Guidelines (PDF) to identify liability risks, improve safety, and enhance program quality.

Watch Wainwright’s session, What's Our Standard of Care?, and its implications on liability from the 2017 NSCA Coaches Conference.

Stream Wainwright’s free Legal Considerations series on NSCA TV for guidance spanning participation screening to emergency planning.

View Wainwright’s session, Standards in Strength and Conditioning, on the NSCA YouTube channel for more insights, including case examples.

“You've got to make sure that you are focused on their development based on, number one, what has been scientifically proven and, number two what has your experience showed on a consistent basis.” 4:00

“Another topic along these lines is emergency planning and response, and that's one of the other legal areas we talk a lot about in strength and conditioning. Are you, as a strength and conditioning coach, involved in your institution's emergency action plan? Are you knowledgeable in that area? That's an area that could be a huge liability.” 8:27

“Maybe you do need a alternative licensure to become a teacher to get your foot in the door, but there are institutions that are hiring CSCS strength coaches to come in because they add value.” 17:20

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[00:00:02.63] Welcome to the NSCA Coaching Podcast, season 9, episode 6.

[00:00:08.51] Because there's so much off season that occurs, and so because of the time that the student athlete spends with the strength and conditioning coach throughout the course of the year, this makes this position even more valuable.

[00:00:29.48] This is the NSCA's Coaching Podcast, where we talk to strength and conditioning coaches about what you really need to know but probably didn't learn in school. There's strength and conditioning, and then there's everything else.

[00:00:40.02] This is the NSCA Coaching Podcast. I'm Eric McMahon, the NSCA Coaching and Sports Science Program Manager. Today's episode features a guest who has a long history with the NSCA but doesn't work in a traditional coaching role. He's an attorney. Reed Wainwright went on from being a collegiate strength and conditioning coach to law school. Reed, welcome.

[00:01:02.33] Thank you very much. It's an honor to be on your show. It's doing a lot of good educating to members. And I just feel very fortunate to be here. Thanks.

[00:01:13.49] You're one of those guys. We call on you often. You've been involved with our professional standards and guidelines. You've been involved with our Essentials textbook.

[00:01:23.55] And really, whenever we need some legal expertise related to the field of strength and conditioning, your background as a college coach, your experience as an attorney really helps us a lot. So we appreciate you as well. I want to hear about your coaching background. What led you to the NSCA? When did you get certified with us?

[00:01:45.14] Well, I became a member of the NSCA in the early '90s, and I became certified as a certified strength and conditioning specialist in August of 1995. And at that time, the certification process was new, and I wanted to make sure that myself and my staff members were certified. So we took that step, and I've been a part or a member of the NSCA ever since.

[00:02:20.15] So you got certified and were working in the college setting. What were some of your stops along the way?

[00:02:27.15] I started out at the University of Southern Mississippi, and then I went to LSU, worked there. Then I got hired at Auburn University, went to Auburn University, worked there a few years, and then got hired at TCU, Texas Christian University, in Fort Worth, went there, and worked there a while as well.

[00:02:51.27] And during that time, I could see how legal implications were coming into college athletics, and there were more considerations being developed. So that's when I decided to-- in conjunction with being a coach, then I also got my law degree.

[00:03:12.76] So you saw a need in the field. Nobody was really paying attention to that area of legal implications. And that has turned into an area of our NSCA Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and Guidelines, the nine areas of liability for anyone who is supervising a strength and conditioning program. Speak to the importance of professional standards and guidelines and really knowing our role in terms of protecting athletes as a strength and conditioning professional.

[00:03:51.40] We need to make sure that anything we implement is evidence based. And so you've got to make sure that you are focused on their development based on, number one, what has been scientifically proven and, number two what has your experience showed on a consistent basis. And if you're younger in your career, you can talk to a strength and conditioning coach or consult with them or have a mentor, which I've noticed y'all have mentor programs there, where you can find out what's worked on a consistent basis for strength and conditioning coaches that have been in the profession for years.

[00:04:38.05] No, I love that. One of the areas we focus on a lot at the NSCA is personnel qualifications, the importance of certification and having the right people with the right experience and the right education out in front of the athletes and serving their institutions. Another area that gets touched on-- and we could say this is in the Essentials text. We could say this is in our Professional Standards and Guidelines-- is facility and equipment and just how weight rooms are designed and set up. What are some of the scenarios you've seen where facilities have come into play that strength and conditioning coaches could be a better advocate for or should be a better advocate for in helping to push the field forward?

[00:05:28.96] Well, first of all, you need to make sure that your strength and conditioning area is being thoroughly cleaned on a consistent basis to make sure that any bacteria, viruses, or anything of that sort are exterminated there from the beginning.

[00:05:48.05] That's a huge one coming after COVID, right?

[00:05:50.90] Exactly. Yes, exactly. And then the other thing is, with the equipment that you purchase, you need to make sure that you purchase equipment from a reputable manufacturer, somebody that's been in the field for a while or, if they are new, that this particular equipment has been established to be designed properly for the anatomy of the human body. And you got to watch some of these companies that maybe are new or trying to come out with a new way to train a student athlete as opposed to provide all these great results.

[00:06:36.67] And so you got to make sure that it is properly manufactured, that it's safe, that it's been tested, and that the equipment company will actually stand behind with their marketing. And so that's another component as well.

[00:06:57.70] The other is making sure that when you place equipment in the weight room and you're designing it, you've got to make sure that wherever it's placed, if you're doing power cleans in a certain area, you got to make sure you got the right amount of spacing so it doesn't become something that's a dangerous component to where it's foreseeable that something could happen or some damage could happen or some injury could happen to an athlete.

[00:07:31.12] So the cleanliness of the facility and making sure that you keep track of how often you clean it and how you clean it and also making sure that you not only purchase good equipment but you also maintain it. What are you doing to maintain it?

[00:07:51.81] No that's huge. And I even think of attachments and how we're carrying equipment around the weight room. I'm thinking like loaded carries. How many times have we used carabiners or other attachments in the weight room? What are the standards and guidelines for that?

[00:08:10.21] I'll give everybody a little hint that in the next Essentials text coming out in 2026, I know you were a coauthor on the legal chapter, and I was involved on the Facilities Chapter. This is going to be a big area of emphasis going forward with the NSCA.

[00:08:27.55] Another topic along these lines is emergency planning and response, and that's one of the other legal areas we talk a lot about in strength and conditioning. Are you, as a strength and conditioning coach, involved in your institution's emergency action plan? Are you knowledgeable in that area? That's an area that could be a huge liability.

[00:08:51.78] One thing I want to ask you, Reed, we're working in sport. I mean, some level of injury is inherent. We can't be responsible for every injury that happens or every single thing that goes wrong in the weight room setting.

[00:09:11.32] Where's the line? I mean, where should we be cautious as strength and conditioning professionals? How do we protect ourselves and really know what's OK?

[00:09:22.77] Well, you look at what the negligence standard is. It's, did you act as a reasonably prudent strength and conditioning and conditioning coach would in a particular setting? So it's something that you look at case law and try to establish exactly where the line is.

[00:09:47.31] And the thing that you look at in strength and conditioning setting is, there's going to be situations where an athlete pulls a muscle, or things happen while you're working out. And everything's being done absolutely perfectly as far as supervision and safety.

[00:10:07.05] The areas that get the strength and conditioning coach into a little bit of trouble is when something egregious happens like organ failure because of rhabdomyolysis or the death of a student athlete that has previously tested positive for a sickle cell trait and you're not implementing the right amount of work-to-rest ratio for that particular student athlete and serious bodily injury or death results. That's where we've seen that strength and conditioning coaches become defendants in cases, the ones that are extreme to that case.

[00:10:52.90] It's not necessarily we're running sprints and an athlete happens to pull a hamstring. It's something that is more egregious to where it's more of a gross negligence standard instead of just something that's commonly occurs within a strength and conditioning program, even though it's being performed safely.

[00:11:18.48] Yeah, and I think it's important to note that what we're talking about here, it's not about scaring coaches about being in the courtroom or being under the gun with lawsuits and these things. It's about being aware and empowering ourselves as a profession.

[00:11:37.29] One thing I think about is other professions that have legal implications, there's a lot of case law out there, and there's a lot of things around medicine, for example, malpractice lawsuits. That's an area we hear about sometimes in the media. And it's something that that's a very professional industry, medicine.

[00:12:03.98] And in many ways, as an industry, we want to be considered on the level of medicine or these professional fields-- I would say law is one of those fields-- that has established standards and competencies and practices and guidelines that solidify what we do on a daily basis. So do you feel like-- it may feel a little restricting to hear this and be like, I can't do all these things because I put myself at risk. But do you feel like in the long run this is actually beneficial for the field as a whole and we grow as a community?

[00:12:47.33] I do. I think professionalism is something that-- and I spoke on this in the past. The more professional we act, the more professional we are perceived, the less the occurrences that the public becomes aware of where a team may come back after a vacation and all of a sudden there's something being implemented that cause a significant number of people to have a certain condition because of what was being implemented in the strength and conditioning program, without properly adapting them when they return. That is one of the main areas that the strength and conditioning profession takes a hit because these things keep occurring.

[00:13:45.08] So I've talked to strength and conditioning coaches about having a certain level of professionalism and being perceived as professionals and in a professional way, whether it's how you act on game day and how you act throughout the day-to-day operation of a strength and conditioning program. If we're perceived to be more professional, that will tie into-- I believe, it will tie into a better salary rate overall across the board because we're being perceived as more professional as opposed to just a strength and conditioning coach-type perception that we've tried to battle out of in the past because of the publicity that these cases get when there is a death or serious bodily injury of an athlete because those are going to get the attention.

[00:14:52.58] And in most cases, it's when a strength and conditioning program is being implemented. So we can't totally cut those out because you never know what a student athlete has been doing previously or what all they've been trying to do. So it's not necessarily, every time you hear of one, because of the negligence of a strength and conditioning coach.

[00:15:19.11] But in a lot of cases, that's been the perception. And that's why the I've been so vocal on the fact that, as a profession, we need to be more professional on an ongoing basis. So that's something that the NSCA gives great guidance on. And then you've mentioned a few things already about that hopefully coaches that are listening to this podcast or noting that they need to go read in the future and stay up to date on how they can make their program the safest and most professional possible.

[00:16:06.73] I love that, and I believe that as well, Reed, that if we double down on the professionalism of our field, we actually take steps forward, not just individually in our individual roles or for our individual salaries. But we take step forward as a profession as a whole for the next generation.

[00:16:33.23] So salaries are a little higher, or it's more justifiable to allocate more resources to the weight room, one, because of the legal standards that have been established and the standards and guidelines that are in place but also because the value of that strength and conditioning professional within the institution. Something I think a lot about in high school strength and conditioning and maybe one of the struggles our field has had is being considered an educator within an education environment, like K through 12 institutions or high schools.

[00:17:10.04] Not every high school can justify hiring a CSCS, or a Strength and Conditioning Coach, because they're not teachers. Professionalism helps you get there. Maybe you do need a alternative licensure to become a teacher to get your foot in the door, but there are institutions that are hiring CSCS strength coaches to come in because they add value.

[00:17:32.72] And just to wrap things up, Reed-- I'm going to let you off the stand here soon-- you took your skill set as a strength and conditioning coach and turned that into an alternative career path. It's extremely valuable for us to have an attorney in the field of strength and conditioning. I think we could all say, I'd love to have a president of a university who was a strength and conditioning coach or a physician who was a strength and conditioning coach that knows what we know. What about being a coach helps you in your role as an attorney?

[00:18:09.37] Well, it gives me a very big advantage because strength and conditioning Coaches have so much attention to detail. And they're very methodical for the most part. And so they're very precise on how things have to be done, and they're very organized.

[00:18:33.34] And taking that into the law field has given me a significant advantage because, just like we used to when I was coaching, I'll have all my clients on a magnetic board. And I'll have exactly what's happening in each case so I can look at one board and tell exactly what's going on with every case that I have.

[00:19:02.80] You got some reps and set schemes up there too?

[00:19:05.51] [LAUGHS] Well, the thing about it is, because of my organization and my attention to detail-- and my daughter just got accepted to law school, and she wrote one of her statements about this, about being raised this way, about her dad being a strength coach and an attorney and how it's given her such an advantage because now she was raised having such attention to detail and being extremely organized in what she does.

[00:19:37.31] And it really has helped. She sees the connection between the two. And it really is because you have to have certain things organized in certain ways because it'll make you organize and it'll give you an advantage because you've done all the research, just like I do with case law. And as a strength coach, you read the research, the most recent research.

[00:20:08.30] I know what's worked in trial, so I'll continue to do some things and not do some things, just like you do as a coach. And so it's the same thing. And the most rewarding part is my interaction with my clients, just like the most rewarding part when I was a coach was the interaction with the student athletes.

[00:20:32.93] And so I would just like to see-- in the law field, we've got appellate courts. We've got people over us that protect us and make sure that judges adhere to the law. So I'm going to use that same comparison to an athletic form.

[00:20:54.69] I would like to see the presidents, the athletic directors, and those that are over the strength and conditioning department, just like in the law where we have appellate courts, make sure that-- and I'm going to compare head coaches with judges-- to make sure these head coaches do what they're supposed to do, which is-- because here's where a lot of the problem arises with the legal issues in strength and conditioning. The strength and conditioning coach gets all this pressure from the head coach to do something to get this team's attention when they return because we're going to start things off and we're really going to get their attention.

[00:21:43.74] And that's when we get in the rhabdomyolysis issue and things of that sort. So I would love to see administrators inform head coaches that you're not a strength and conditioning coach. You're not certified. You're not in their profession.

[00:22:02.40] So when we have this adaptation period, which is almost the-- it's probably 80% of the cases where we get into problems. Whenever we have this adaptation period at any time throughout the year, the strength and conditioning coach makes the decision on what's going to be implemented from a conditioning standpoint and a strength standpoint. And you don't override that. You need to adhere to what their professional guidelines are, just like a judge has to adhere to what the law is.

[00:22:47.70] We, as a field, are working well towards a more interdisciplinary model. I'd like to think that that's going to help us move into a stronger leadership model at the institutional level. And it's encouraging. I hope that, if you're listening to this podcast, you've heard some things you should pay attention to, maybe some risk areas that jump out to you and your program that, hey, I need to do a little better job of protecting athletes here or voicing up here, but also that by echoing the voice of the field, by continuing to instill these professional standards that we adhere to as strength and conditioning coaches, you're not just making yourself a better professional.

[00:23:39.10] But you're making our field better and growing it for the next generation for the next phase of your career, whatever that may be. There's a lot. And I believe that being a strength and conditioning coach is the greatest job in the world. It hasn't always been the greatest career in the world.

[00:24:00.45] And it may be strange to hear the NSCA say that, but know that it's our mission to make it better every single day. That's why we put a salary survey out there. That's why we're collecting data and information, connecting with professionals all over the industry. And we appreciate you, Reed.

[00:24:17.73] You always step up. You just like an athlete, you always step up when we need you. You have a unique skill set and perspective on the field of strength and conditioning. You're passionate about the profession.

[00:24:32.82] And you've been with us a really long time. So we appreciate you. I'm going to keep calling you and asking you things because I do enjoy talking to you. So thank you.

[00:24:43.20] Yes, you know I love it every time you contact me about any topic. So sounds good, and it's been an honor to be on this podcast. And NSCA, anything you need, just let me know.

[00:24:58.76] All right. On that, what's the best way for our listeners to reach out to you? You want to drop your email?

[00:25:05.87] Yes, it's reed@wainwrightattorney.com. So it's Reed with two E's at wainwrightattorney.com. That's also my website, wainwrightattorney.com. So anytime you need me to help about anything or just want to talk or whatever it may be, you bother me. I love hearing from you. So the door's always open.

[00:25:29.75] Thanks so much. That was Reed Wainwright, long-time NSCA member, college coach turned attorney, great perspective on where our field is now, where it needs to go, things to be paying attention to. We appreciate everyone tuning in.

[00:25:48.15] We love this podcast, being able to connect with professionals across many generations of the NSCA. And it's important to have these conversations. So maybe you'll be a guest on the podcast someday, and that's something that I look forward to.

[00:26:06.00] Hopefully everyone tuning in, you enjoyed this episode and took something from it. We also want to thank Sorinex Exercise Equipment. We appreciate their support.

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[00:26:19.91] This was the NSCA's Coaching Podcast. The National Strength and Conditioning Association was founded in 1978 by strength and conditioning coaches to share information, resources, and help advance the profession. Serving coaches for over 40 years, the NSCA is the trusted source for strength and conditioning professionals. Be sure to join us next time.

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