Here’s what SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said about the upcoming football season
As Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey sifts through the madness amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, he’s deciding to take the “half-full” or optimistic approach moving forward.
It’s been a hectic week for Sankey and SEC athletic directors alike, meeting daily for a conference call as they navigate the pandemic.
On Tuesday, the SEC canceled all regular season and championship events for the rest of the academic year. It ended the season for spring sports teams, the conference following in the footsteps of the NCAA, which canceled all winter and spring sports championships last week.
There’s been questions on if shutdowns will affect the upcoming 2020 football season. As of now, Sankey said he doesn’t know, though he’s hopeful there will be no interruptions.
“Our focus is on preparing for the (2020-21) academic year, the fall season as currently scheduled,” Sankey said on a teleconference call Wednesday. “We’ll obviously think about everything going forward because we’re being guided by public health information and decision-making. My hope is we can return to our normal organized activities and be part of that celebration around soccer, volleyball, cross country and football in the fall. But we’ll have to see.”
Currently, football spring practices are suspended by the SEC until April 15. There’s a chance teams are able to restart practice, but the timeline is still murky, Sankey said.
The commissioner warned it’s not as though teams and the conference will be back to normal and practicing by April 16. The date was originally set to re-evaluate conditions, which the SEC will do based on public health officials and other experts.
For Missouri, it was supposed to be a crucial spring for first-year coach Eliah Drinkwitz. He was installing a new offense and assessing personnel, with potential tweaks for the future. Before the suspension, the Tigers held three of their 15 allotted spring practices.
“If we’re not able to practice further this spring, I’m confident we’ll be seeking opportunities to make sure our teams are adequately prepared heading into the season,” Sankey said. “Elements of that are going to be guided by the public health realities in front of us.”
Aside from spring football, one of the first football events is SEC Media Days, set to take place July 13-16 in Atlanta. First-year coaches like Drinkwitz, Mississippi State’s Mike Leach and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin were set to make their debuts at the annual event to kickoff the season.
Sankey said they’re “full steam ahead” for media days. But the commissioner added he was the same way with the men’s basketball tournament which was canceled last week.
“We’re going to prepare for disruption,” Sankey said. “But we’re going to plan as if, in July, we’re going to have the media days opportunity as scheduled.”
Spring sports eligibility
Similar to other sports administrators like Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk, Sankey said he’s in favor of eligibility relief for spring sports athletes who had their seasons canceled. An NCAA council recommended last week that affected athletes get some type of eligibility relief.
Sanked added it’s not just a “senior issue,” saying everyone in the program had their season disrupted.
As for winter sports, Sankey said there needs to be a conversation for those athletes. He wasn’t sure what the exact answer was, but many seniors missed out on their final postseason, like Mizzou basketball’s Reed Nikko.
“The first read is that’s an appropriate step from my perspective,” Sankey said of spring sports athletes. “Yet we have to understand the full set of implications. I hope we’ll move through those rapidly. One of the assets for our young people, knowing definitively knowing what their eligibility status is going forward.”