One of the most controversial plays of the 2018 season was the targeting call against Devin White in LSU’s game against Mississippi State. That was one of the questions posed to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey during his annual media address at SEC Media Days.

Sankey reminded everyone that the initial reason for the rule was about protecting players, but the reality of the rule is that it is difficult to officiate. While White’s call may have been the most controversial, it was not uncommon for a call to come up weekly that led to further explanation and a hot debate in the days that followed Saturdays.

“I’m encouraged by the willingness to update the rule this year,” Sankey said. “Because we had one of these conflicts, it seemed, where the charge to the official on the field is, when in doubt, you put the flag down. The responsibility of a video review official is you have to have a clear evidence to overturn it, it wasn’t something or that it was.”

Steve Shaw, Coordinator of Football Officials at the SEC, will have a session on Tuesday to explain areas of emphasis for the upcoming season. Sankey admitted to the gray area where a call may have stood, or been confirmed in past seasons.

“Now we go to video review in the coming season to say, all three parts under the new approach, the new rule, all three parts are targeting must be present for the rule to be applied,” he said. “And that rule produced outcomes different from past years. It will still be controversial, but fundamentally, we have to understand, this is about protecting the participants in the game.”

The commissioner maintained that the rule is designed to change behaviors, and if they could change behaviors without penalties, “I’m sure we would. But we have different types of penalties for all kinds of behaviors, and that’s a particularly dangerous play which merits that severe accountability.”