Ad Disclosure
New commish Greg Sankey won’t change SEC priorities, but expect modernization
HOOVER, Ala. — Don’t expect a huge shift in priorities as the conference leadership has shifted from Mike Slive to Greg Sankey.
Much like his predecessor, the still-new commissioner’s address to the media Monday focused on academics, avoiding NCAA violations and the evolution of the SEC Network.
Sankey’s biggest rah-rah line: “The expectation is we’re going to have at least one team in the (College Football) Playoff.”
Sankey also emphasized his desire for the SEC to serve as leadership for all of collegiate athletics in terms of off-field conduct of its student-athletes.
He reminded everyone of the recent rules changes preventing players who have committed certain violent crimes from transferring into the SEC and announced plans for “working groups” to codify ground rules for student-athletes.
Sankey also managed to live-tweet his own press conference, a fact that impressed many of the media members. He also quoted Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A Changin'”.
Here are a few other highlights of Sankey’s opening statements and his media session:
- Sankey and his family have lived within the SEC footprint since 1989. He’s the first SEC commissioner not named Roy Kramer or Mike Slive since 1990.
- Each SEC football team will designate one game of the 2015 season to promote prostate cancer awareness in honor of Slive.
- Sankey on the recent nation-wide conversation about the Confederate flag: “I’m particularly proud of the leadership demonstrated on our campuses at the center of this debate.” He also said, when asked, he’s not considering “applying pressure” on the state of Mississippi related to the flag issue.
- About 1,500 live events appeared on the SEC Network in the first year, and the channel’s subscriber base has swelled to 70 million as of this month.
- Sankey emphasized that he wants to develop a “college-going culture” that makes sure more high schoolers are ready for their college opportunities, rather than a narrow focus on freshman eligibility.
- For lack of a better term, Sankey introduced a new motto or set of priorities for the conference, divided into three categories: scholars, champions and leaders.
- Under that guise, Sankey spent a lot of time providing anecdotes of academic importance, congratulating former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton for graduating this spring. The SEC also will create a new position: director of student-athlete engagement.
- Sankey’s goal: never to have a team vacate wins, pull down a championship banner or face postseason ineligibility based on NCAA infractions, including APR violations. It’s a noble goal, but unrealistic if he plans on spending many years in the commissioner’s office.
- He emphasized (with some measure of pride) that the SEC needs to be a leader in conduct standards for transfer athletes as well as expectations for athletes on campuses.
- Sankey on cost of attendance: “(It isn’t) a new concept or idea. the fact that some may now have just become aware, i think that’s just reality. I don’t think that’s unique to any aspect of life.”
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.