South Carolina AD Ray Tanner responds to statement on officiating released by Greg Sankey
By Adam Spencer
Published:
After a couple of costly missed calls hurt South Carolina against Florida on Saturday, fans, coaches and players were irate.
That prompted SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to release a statement about the officiating on Wednesday in which he said the league strives for perfection.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp and AD Ray Tanner have both been in contact with the league office this week, and during a radio appearance on Wednesday, Tanner said he spoke with a number of SEC officials, including Sankey.
However, he added, none of what was said makes him feel any better about what happened on Saturday (via 247Sports):
“I don’t think I was going to be satisfied, to be honest with you,” Tanner said. “No matter what anybody said I was not going to be satisfied. Commissioner Sankey took time to speak with me. Steve Shaw took time to speak with me more than once. I wasn’t going to get to that point (of satisfaction). I didn’t get to that point. I’m not at the point.
“We move on. Coach Muschamp is frustrated, was frustrated, but he has a game he’s preparing for right now in Knoxville and that’s where we should be. I don’t want to sit here and blame everyone in the world for everything. That’s not who I am. But I’m frustrated. I’m a competitor. I don’t like what happened. I don’t like it. I don’t want to point fingers. It’s part of it, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy to take, easy to digest. It’s still very frustrating.”
He did have some praise for Sankey, but added that he’s still emotional over the blown calls:
“You know me well enough to know I am who I am. It’s been very emotional for me as well. I will use the word ‘frustrated.’ It was very frustrating as things unfolded in that game and it was difficult to handle. I’ll say that you read an excerpt from (Sankey’s) release that is true, there is accountability. I am well aware of the process. Commissioner Sankey has tremendous integrity and runs a great league. I would argue he’s one of the best commissioners in the business. That does not take away from our frustration and disappointment when we have a head coach, assistant coaches and players that are giving their all and there are some things that happened that give you great concern. It’s emotional. That’s where I’ve been.”
South Carolina plays Tennessee this weekend. Will the Gamecocks be able to put last week’s frustration aside and win?
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
