SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stated Saturday his issue for the football season is “high to very high” and acknowledged, “We are lacking time to fix and get things right.”
During an interview on Marty & & McGee on ESPN Radio, Sankey was asked about looming choices the SEC need to make about the upcoming season, with coronavirus cases across the South increasing, and about announcements the Big Ten and Pac-12 have actually made relating to the relocation to conference-only schedules.
“But the direct reality is not good and the idea that weve politicized medical assistance of distancing, and breathing masks, and hand sanitization, ventilation of being outdoors, being careful where you are in structures. … We are running out of time to remedy and get things right, and as a society we owe it to each other to be as healthy as we can be.”
2 RelatedSankey restated that the SECs due date to make a choice remains late July, and he stated the decisions the Big Ten and Pac-12 have already made do not put pressure on him or the SEC to do the same. He remembered a conversation he had with a biostatistician, who told him he need to take all the time he needs before making a decision due to the fact that every day will offer more information.
” That actually is playing out in front of us every day,” Sankey stated. “Thats why I dont feel any pressure because of somebody elses decisions. Were attempting to make the right choices for us, for the Southeastern Conference. It does have an impact since Ive said openly were all connected nationally, so when other people make decisions, yup, theres an effect, but also were going to take a look at our circumstance and make a decision thats proper for the Southeastern Conference and most significantly for the health of our student-athletes.”
The Big 12 and ACC have also announced they will wait till later on in July before making any choices about the fall season or possible scheduling plans.
” What Ive attempted to do is both keep a focus on whats ahead however provide reality, which has been Im going to focus on preparing to play the season as scheduled but acknowledge the situations around coronavirus are going to guide us in that decision-making,” Sankey stated. “And the truth right now is the patterns in our area, in our nation, are not in the positive instructions for having the ability to have typical experiences.”
“Thats why I do not feel any pressure because of somebody elses decisions. Were trying to make the right choices for us, for the Southeastern Conference. It does have an impact because Ive said publicly were all connected nationally, so when other people make decisions, yup, theres an impact, but also were going to look at our scenario and make a decision thats proper for the Southeastern Conference and most significantly for the health of our student-athletes.”
