The International Testing Agency (ITA), based in Lausanne, Switzerland, selected RealResponse’s versatile technology platform to augment and expand the channels it uses to collect suspicious doping information securely and anonymously through REVEAL, its anti-doping reporting tool. With ITA’s focus on delivering comprehensive anti-doping programs and its obligations to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) International Standard for Testing and Investigations, implementing RealResponse’s secure, two-way anonymous platform to obtain anti-doping intelligence helps it achieve its stated mission.
The ITA’s new Proactive Reporting Policy – outlining how potential anti-doping rule violations are reported to and processed by the ITA – reinforces for athletes and athlete support personnel that they have the ability and confidence to come forward because of anonymous and confidential anti-doping reporting methods enabled by RealResponse.
ITA’s Nicholas Raudenski, Head of Intelligence & Investigations, comments, “The ITA’s core mission is to protect athletes and encourage a safe space for proactive reporting. Providing them with the best options to report any suspicions they could have in a confidential or anonymous manner supports this mission. RealResponse’s platform has the ability to reduce reporting barriers by providing multiple communications channels, including text and WhatsApp. And, the fact that we are able to engage in two-way, anonymous dialogue with a person reporting a doping concern supports efficient investigations and our clean sport mission in general.”
Through its secure and confidential reporting channels, RealResponse technology will play a crucial role in protecting athletes who disclose doping information and will help ITA achieve the objectives laid out in its new reporting policy.
“With the Paris Summer Olympics on the horizon, and as our first global client, the International Testing Agency recognizes the value of ensuring that all voices are heard when it comes to preventing doping in sport,” said David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of Real Response. “Nothing is more important than protecting the safety of all athletes and the integrity of competition around the world. By rolling out RealResponse to its stakeholders, the ITA is taking a major step to opening up communications channels that did not exist before and at a critical juncture.”
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission is partnering with RealResponse to launch a statewide program for the public to anonymously report concerning or questionable activities regarding horseracing, casino gaming at racetrack enclosures and sports gaming in Nebraska.
RealResponse is committed to elevating all voices in sports. The RealResponse community includes more than two million athletes, coaches, administrators, and staff, across college and professional sports, governing bodies, and integrity units. Founded in 2015 with its signature customer-centric approach, RealResponse offers real-time, two-way anonymous communications, surveys, compliance support, competitive benchmarks, and metrics. These insights enhance communications between athletes, participants, and their respective organizations. For more information, visit realresponse.com.
“With legalized sports wagering and gambling expanding rapidly from state to state, there is a heightened need to guard against impropriety and to protect those vulnerable to increased criticism and threats,” says David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of RealResponse. “We commend the Nebraska Racing & Gaming Commission for ensuring the public and others can share betting-related concerns anonymously and safely through the RealResponse platform.”
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission encourages the public to use this anonymous program to report any concerning or questionable activities related to horseracing, casino gaming at racetrack enclosures and sports gaming activities throughout the state. The implementation of this program is another step towards enhancing best practices to prevent questionable or concerning activity across the industries we regulate.
“The NRGC is excited to be partnering with RealResponse. We are the first state Commission to partner with RealResponse. We hope the public will embrace and utilize this anonymous service to report concerning or questionable practices,” says Tom Sage, Director of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission.
The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit announced today the launch of its anonymous whistleblower platforms that enable participants in the Thoroughbred industry to submit tips safely and anonymously regarding potential violations of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program. The text and email platforms are supported through a partnership with RealResponse, the leading provider of safe and secure reporting platform for athletes, teams, and organizations, while the telephone platform is supported by Ansafone.
Using the designated telephone line, text line, or email address, any industry participant can anonymously submit information relating to Covered Horses, barns, trainers, or other Covered Persons for review by HIWU’s Investigations Unit. Submissions are accepted 24/7. Whistleblowers can include their contact information if they are open to potential follow up from HIWU’s investigators. However, this option is voluntary.
“Our anonymous whistleblower platforms will empower concerned individuals to safely and securely alert HIWU to potential violations of the AMDC Program, including situations where the welfare of the horse or integrity of the sport may be compromised,” said Michelle Pujals, HIWU’s general counsel. “We look forward to working with RealResponse, which has a proven track record in administering this type of technology, to facilitate the success of this key component of the ADMC Program.”
“We are honored to work with the leadership of the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit,” said David Chadwick, RealResponse Founder and CEO. “We have seen significant interest from leading integrity agencies who seek a more efficient and effective platform to enhance their investigative process. Working with HIWU as it launches platforms to protect against efforts that compromise the integrity of horse racing, as well as to protect the wellbeing of the equine athletes, is important to us. Our service makes it simple and easy for those in the field to report concerning incidents they witness to ensure fairness and safety across the industry.”
Individuals who would like to submit tips should utilize the following contact options:
Industry participants should note that the HIWU Investigations Unit can only consider tips regarding the ADMC Program and will not respond to potential violations of HISA’s Racetrack Safety Program or other violations or inquiries that fall outside the jurisdiction of the ADMC Program. Potential violations of the Racetrack Safety Program will be forwarded to HISA.
Those with information regarding potential violations of HISA’s Racetrack Safety Program should call (877) 513-2919 or email [email protected]. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
NASCAR and RealResponse, the award-winning reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced a partnership that provides NASCAR and national series industry members with a safe and anonymous tool to secure feedback, report concerns and seek assistance from professionals in countless areas of expertise.
RealResponse is the industry leader in providing a platform for safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting. The partnership will provide any NASCAR national series team member with the ability to confidentially reach out to express concerns or report issues via a customized communication tool. NASCAR personnel receive the encrypted and anonymous messages directly and designate a subject matter expert to respond immediately to the concern.
Concerns can range from competition-based items such as gambling or integrity, safety and security, abuse or harassment, or for seeking mental health support. The identity of the industry member reaching out is protected through the RealResponse reporting program, ensuring anonymity.
“NASCAR wanted to be proactive in providing a tool for industry members such as drivers, crew and other team personnel to safely reach out for help,” said Meghan Miley, Managing Director of Racing Operations for NASCAR. “In partnering with RealResponse, we now have a confidential method for reporting. We don’t have a limit to the types of reports industry members can submit, and we can ensure their privacy as they reach out for anonymous support at any time.”
RealResponse was launched in 2016 by former NCAA Division I student-athlete David Chadwick, who saw a need for athletes to have a safe and confidential way to bring feedback to their athletic administration. Today, numerous sport governing bodies, organizations and teams such MLB, the NFLPA and NFL teams, USA Swimming and other Olympic organizations, the National Women’s Soccer League, and a multitude of colleges and universities work with RealResponse to provide the same service.
“We are honored to engage in this historic partnership with NASCAR,” said David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of RealResponse. “NASCAR executives recognize the responsibility to make the sport of racing safer, more inclusive and more valuable in the eyes every stakeholder involved in the sport. Their embrace of RealResponse sends a clear message that the health and safety of its community members away from the track is as important as safety of drivers on race day.”
The program was introduced to the NASCAR national series teams in October.
USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the United States, today announced their alignment with RealResponse, the award-winning safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform. Starting September 1, 2022, USA Swimming members can submit anonymously or on the record through simple text messaging at 888-270-SWIM (7946). To enhance the ability of USA Swimming to gather facts while still protecting the identity of anonymous reporters, select USA Swimming staff will be able to respond through the platform for appropriate follow up. This includes the recent hiring of two additional Safe Sport staff members who will focus on responding to reports.
This summer, the RealResponse platform was made available to USA Swimming’s National and Junior National Teams as they traveled overseas for competitions. It will now be released to the rest of the organization on September 1 to track, monitor and proactively address reports.
“We are excited to provide this valuable new resource for our USA Swimming members,” said Liz Hahn, Program Director for Safe Sport at USA Swimming. “Our utilization of this platform will allow all members to easily report from their phones, while still remaining anonymous – if they wish. In addition to continuing to provide anonymous reporting, this tool will allow USA Swimming to gather additional facts to effectively permit staff to follow up on all reports.”
RealResponse allows individuals to report with ease through text messaging. Additionally, all current reporting mechanisms, such as email, phone and the online reporting form, will continue to be available here.
“USA Swimming has always had athlete and member well-being at the top of their priorities, and our partnership will give all involved the ability to further promote the well-being of USA Swimming members,” said David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of RealResponse. “Not only will RealResponse provide for timely, critical reporting, but USA Swimming will be able to watch for trends in health and wellness aspects of its athletes, from mental health to out of competition concerns.”
USA Swimming will continue to protect the identity of reporters, and will serve its members through resources such as the Whistleblower and Anti-Retaliation Policy.
For more information on USA Swimming’s Safe Sport efforts, please visit https://www.usaswimming.org/safe-sport.
RealResponse, (@RealResponseHQ), the award-winning safe and secure feedback, monitoring, and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced its expansion into professional baseball, as Major League Baseball has begun to implement the RealResponse Anonymous Texting system for reports of player, staff, or employee misconduct.
RealResponse will provide an additional platform to help MLB track and proactively respond to misconduct issues, including the use of PED’s, sports betting, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other potential violations of baseball’s conduct rules and policies for players, staff, and employees.
“With Major League Baseball’s implementation of our services, they expand the ability for individuals to report misconduct issues in medium that they may feel more comfortable in, while remaining safe and anonymous,” said David Chadwick, CEO and Founder of RealResponse. “It will really help augment the great work MLB has already been doing in this space and, most importantly, it can help not only identify but potentially prevent potential issues before they arise. We look forward to learning and assisting in any way we can to help MLB.”
MLB’s Department of Investigations will leverage RealResponse’s Anonymous Texting platform to receive and respond to messages with the Anonymous Texter, which will enable the individual to remain anonymous as long as they would like while they can continue to provide information and assist with investigations.
“The addition of RealResponse to our existing reporting channels will provide another option to encourage the reporting of misconduct, by ensuring that people have a variety of pathways to make a report, so they can use the method that they are most comfortable with,” said Moira Weinberg, MLB’s Senior Vice President, Investigations & Deputy General Counsel. “The platform is another safe and confidential option for people to speak up and helps us continue to take a proactive approach addressing potential misconduct issues.”
RealResponse, (@RealResponseHQ), the award-winning safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced a strategic partnership with US Equestrian, further expanding its reach across the Olympic and Paralympic sport landscape. The program will roll out next month, and will initially be available for all US Equestrian members to anonymously and quickly report any issues regarding violations of the USEF SafeSport Policy, including the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies
“We are proud to add US Equestrian as a new partner. The opportunity to fully leverage the versatility of the RealResponse platform in serving the unique needs of USEF is something we wholeheartedly embrace. US Equestrian made it clear that they want to remove as many barriers as possible to reporting concerns and we believe this platform will achieve that. Providing their athletes and members a voice to bring forward any concern safely and with anonymity is our privilege.,” said David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of RealResponse. “Tailoring our service to meet the individual needs of each organization we partner with allows RealResponse to deliver maximum value and impact to our partners.”
“Athlete safety is of paramount importance to USEF. Our staff is dedicated to this effort and our biggest priority is making sure our members know we have a safe, secure, and quick way to be made aware of any issues that arise, and RealResponse gives us this much needed added value,” said Bill Moroney, USEF Chief Executive Officer. “By taking this step, we want to make sure that issues and concerns at any level are reported and dealt with efficiently and professionally, and that the integrity of our organization and our sport remains intact..”
This new platform will provide members with the opportunity to report concerns to USEF about emotional and physical abuse as well as violations of the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies via text message while maintaining anonymity. Members are still welcome to report concerns by emailing [email protected] or by directly contacting a member of the Athlete Protection Team. For details on how to report misconduct go here.
RealResponse (@RealResponseHQ), the award-winning leading safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced a pair of landmark partnerships with the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, becoming the first two NFL teams to offer the platform to its employees. Both will use the system to proactively stay in communication with employees regarding feedback on areas impacting their wellbeing – both positives that are benefiting experiences as well as to gain additional insight into the issues that may need to be addressed. The partnership will launch in the coming weeks.
“RealResponse is a critical tool that our organization will utilize at all levels to enhance our communication with employees,” said Nancy Svoboda, Executive Vice President of Human Resources for the Denver Broncos. “We are proud of our workplace culture and we want to continue to be proactive in supporting our staff by making sure that their voices continue to be heard. We are excited to be a part of this groundbreaking platform.”
“We are excited to partner with RealResponse to design and implement a valuable tool to enhance internal and external communication at all levels of our organization,” said Kirsten Krug, Executive Vice President of Administration for the Kansas City Chiefs. “Creating an efficient, confidential and anonymous way to proactively identify and address issues and opportunities will make us better. We are proud to be a part of this emerging trend within professional sports.”
“We are very proud to have both the Broncos and the Chiefs join us in this expansion of our business into the NFL,” said David Chadwick, RealResponse founder and former NCAA Division I basketball player. “The platform we have built is all about empowering athletes and employees’ voices and keeping those in leadership informed not just on issues, but on opportunities to better communicate and work together. Whether it is a junior staff member receiving acknowledgement for going above and beyond the call or a senior administrator alerting leadership of potential issues regarding employee health and well-being. It is clear that the leadership in the NFL, with Denver and Kansas City being first in, are engaged and ready to listen to resolve issues before they become problems.”
The two teams will begin implementing and onboarding staff into the system in the coming weeks. RealResponse already works with the NFLPA for player-related reporting, but having teams engaged will make the system more holistic and impactful across all areas of the organizations.
The Washington Spirit have partnered with RealResponse (@RealResponseHQ), the award-winning leading safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations.
RealResponse will allow both players and staff in the organization to anonymously report feedback and concerns. In addition to the league as a whole, the Spirit will join OL Reign and Racing Louisville as the only clubs directly affiliated with RealResponse.
“RealResponse allows our players and staff to communicate concerns or feedback in a way that respects their privacy and creates accountability for the organization,” said Spirit President Ben Olsen. “We worked with the team captains to make sure this platform aligns with the needs of the players, and look forward to the ways in which RealResponse will help drive our organization forward.”
“We are humbled to be an integral part of the Washington Spirit’s investment in the wellbeing of their players and staff,” said David Chadwick, the founder of RealResponse. “We commend the Spirit management for how they collaborated with their player leadership as a part of this selection process, and making sure that they were aligned on the best solution to meet their needs. We are continually seeing how important it is to be proactive in this critical area, and we welcome the Washington Spirit for recognizing the need and making this commitment by implementing RealResponse. This will be a year where we believe the NWSL and women’s sports are prime for unprecedented growth, and the Spirit taking this major step for confidential and accessible feedback sends a great message to all involved about how important the voice of the players is to the organization.”
While RealResponse’s partnership with the league allows players to anonymously communicate concerns or feedback with the league directly, the Spirit’s partnership will allow for that level of communication and organizational accountability at the club level.
RealResponse (@RealResponseHQ), the leading safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams, organizations, and over 50,000 athletes, today announced an expansion of their agreement with the NFL Players Association. Last season, players used RealResponse to communicate COVID-19 health and safety questions and violations to the NFLPA; now, all players and clubs will have the ability to anonymously and securely report any and all issues with regard to player health and safety to the NFLPA in real time for everything from training camp issues, drug policy infractions, social injustice concerns, medical issues, COVID-19 policy violations, misconduct, hazing, harassment, and more as well as using the system to highlight successes and best practices which might go otherwise unnoticed. The NFLPA is the first professional organization to fully implement the RealResponse system, which was significantly enhanced and upgraded in 2020. The NFLPA joins USA Gymnastics and over 100 colleges and Universities as RealResponse partners.
“Health and safety remain the priority for all organizations, and our system will now give thousands of NFL players a safe and secure opportunity to voice concerns beyond only COVID-19 for any issues on and off the field,” said 31 year old David Chadwick, former Division I basketball player at Rice University and Valparaiso University and the founder of RealResponse. “We were proud to support the NFLPA last season amidst COVID-19, and today’s announcement is ample proof of last season’s success and that our system, working with the first movers who lead the NFLPA, will be a model not just for football, but for all athletic organizations as we expand, enhance, refine and customize our offering to meet the needs of athletes, organizations and colleges around the world.”
“The NFLPA is committed to providing players a confidential way to bring forward any issues or concerns that may require the Unions assistance, therefore we are excited to announce that we are expanding our use of RealResponse,” said Don Davis, Senior Director Player Affairs & Senior Advisor to the Executive Director at NFL Players Association. “The successful utilization of this platform in 2020, allowed players to bring forward any COVID-19 questions or violations. We believe this system will go a long way in addressing problems and letting all focus on the task at hand, which is being successful athletes, teammates and family members for decades to come.”
The program will begin with the start of training camp and will continue throughout the season.
Last season, the NFLPA partnered with RealResponse to provide its members with a safe platform to anonymously text potential violations of NFL/NFLPA health and safety protocol related to the coronavirus pandemic.
RealResponse (@RealResponseHQ), the award winning leading safe and secure feedback, monitoring and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced the addition of new colleges and universities to its fast-growing list, reaching the 100 partner milestone for the first time in the company’s short history. More than 50,000 athletes now have the ability to use RealResponse to share feedback, safely and securely report issues to coaches and administrators in real time for everything from mental health issues, social injustice concerns, COVID-19 policy infractions, misconduct, hazing, sexual harassment as well as using the system to highlight successes and best practices which might go otherwise unnoticed. Their work was recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal this month as one of the “Fifty Most Innovative Companies in the Region.”
“As we head towards a period of increased scrutiny and challenges for athletes in everything from the Olympics to the return to play in colleges big and small this fall, the pressure and challenges placed on athletes and coaches at all levels has never been greater, and we are proud to be able to work with this growing number of colleges, universities and organizations to document, address and most importantly, head off issues within any size programs,” said 31 year old David Chadwick, former Division I basketball player at Rice University and Valparaiso University and the founder of RealResponse. “We started this because we saw, and heard, the need to help the athletes speak, and to help coaches and administrators address issues safely and securely, and the response continues to speak loudly. We are thrilled to eclipse 100 partner institutions and welcome our recent members and look forward to additional news, partnerships and growth in the coming weeks.”
Recent additions to the growing number of partners for RealResponse includes: Boston College, Campbell University, Appalachian State University, Cal State Northridge, UNC Asheville, and Arkansas State University. They join a list that has schools from the Major Five Conferences (Wake Forest, the University of Maryland, Ole Miss, TCU) as well as mid major schools (Army, Georgetown, Grand Canyon, and Liberty) and schools from Division II and III (Cal State Monterey Bay, Western New England, Bowdoin). RealResponse has also begun working actively outside the collegiate space with organizations like the NFLPA, National Governing Bodies like USA Gymnastics and others, and will be expanding with other relationships in the coming months.
“We are living in a very changing, dynamic time, for intercollegiate athletics and the world in general. Within our athletics department we challenge our coaches, staff, and even our student-athletes to question whether just because we have been doing something one way does not mean we need to keep doing it. Is there another better way? Or are we missing something? And that is where RealResponse came in,” said Janet Cone, Director of Athletics, UNC Asheville. “We wanted to give our student-athletes an easy to use and real time tool to provide us with critical information . We are now very confident that the anonymous aspect is going to allow us to gather more information. Instead of someone hesitating and trying to decide, ‘Should I go forward or not?’ They know they can send a message to us. And we now have some information that we did not know that can help us address concerns and issues.” For more on UNC Asheville’s partnership click here.
Three other athletic directors, two in the Big 12 Conference, the other in the ACC, also reaffirmed their growing support of RealResponse:
“RealResponse is used extensively by our Leadership Team, especially our Sport Administrators. The Survey Platform streamlined how we collect feedback and measure our student-athlete experiences, both internally and benchmarked against national trends,” added Jamie Pollard, Director of Athletics, Iowa State University. “The Real-Time Reporting has created an open and safe channel for our administration to stay responsive to student-athlete needs. Lastly, the Documentation Repository has allowed our team to centralize and manage important notes and communications in the daily execution of our departmental processes. It has truly become an essential part of our operations, and I would recommend RealResponse to any peer.
“RealResponse has been tremendous for Baylor University. Student-athletes can approach us anonymously and I can still communicate back, creating a safe environment while offering key resources such as Title IX, Equity, and Mental Health Services. Importantly, these conversations are automatically captured, and the documentation trail and timeline generated provide peace of mind to our department,“ said Dawn Rogers, Deputy Director of Athletics, Baylor University
“Protecting the health and safety of our student-athletes and the integrity of the institution are paramount responsibilities for an Athletics Director. RealResponse is an invaluable tool to help identify student-athlete needs and concerns – and determine the right administrative response – before they escalate into a crisis,” added John Currie, Director of Athletics, Wake Forest University
