HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – University of Connecticut’s coaches should be treated no differently than other state employees when it comes to enforcing the state’s ethics rules on gifts and outside work, the State Ethics Commission ruled Monday.

The decision ends an unwritten policy that allowed a handful of “celebrity” state employees to bypass certain rules governing the conduct of Connecticut state employees.

The decision will allow the coaches to keep their previously approved endorsement deals, but subjects future contracts with sneaker companies and others to stricter ethical review.

“There was no reference to celebrity status in the law ever,” Ethics Commissioner Helen Pearl said. “It was something that was used as an analysis, as an approach to looking it, which was causing a lot of confusion, misunderstanding and even resentment by noncelebrities as to why the rules were applied differently.”

State law does allow public officials and state employees to use their expertise for personal financial gain providing they don’t misuse their position in state government.

For example, former state forensic chief Henry Lee, gained fame assisting in several high profile cases around the country, including the O.J. Simpson murder trial and death of Colorado girl JonBenet Ramsey.

The commission spent three months reviewing its treatment of “celebrity” employees at the request of Gov. M. Jodi Rell, following reports that UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun and women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma were paid by Nike in part for providing their teams with Nike gear.

State statutes have been amended over the years, however, to allow the coaches to appear at celebrity events, such as golf outings. That won’t change under this new clarification.

Messages seeking comment were left Monday at UConn for both coaches. An attorney for Auriemma attended Monday’s meeting but declined to comment on the decision.

The commission’s staff determined there is no statutory or regulatory basis for treating celebrity state employees or public officials differently from other state employees and public officials.

Lee, Calhoun and Auriemma are the only three individuals the commission has recognized as having celebrity status.

Under this new decision, any of the coaches’ new contracts or contract extensions must be reviewed by ethics officials to ensure strict compliance with ethics rules that bar state employees from using their public positions for private gain.

In May, agents for Auriemma and Calhoun wrote letters to the commission indicating the coaches might be forced to find other jobs if the state outlawed their deals.

with Nike and other companies.

Auriemma said in a May interview that he wasn’t insinuating he would seek another job if the deals were banned. But he said allowing the coaches to receive outside contracts helps UConn compete with other schools and attract good people.

“I don’t necessarily need celebrity status, nor do I want it,” Auriemma said. “I want to be considered more in terms of, these are the things, these are the opportunities that go above and beyond. It’s got nothing to do with celebrity status. It’s just because of what I’ve been able to accomplish personally.”

Monday’s decision is expected to be one of the last for the state Ethics Commission, which will be replaced in July by a state Office of State Ethics and a Citizens’ Ethics Advisory Board.