Greg Sankey admits he has contemplated future affiliation with NCAA

Greg Sankey dropped some truth regarding the SEC’s future affiliation with the NCAA during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday.

Pressed about the need for the NCAA in the future and whether Power Five conferences can create their own leagues, Sankey put it all in perspective, but did relent that questions have persisted throughout in his mind.

“I just left a group of legends, former SEC football players we honor this weekend, and the last question out the door was from one of our former players saying, ‘How long are you going to be a part of that?’ There’s a lot of complexities. I don’t think you just move football. That’s my view,” Sankey explained. “Because I can’t look — last year we had the highest ranked collegiate in the NBA Draft. The No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the MLB Draft. The No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. No. 1 NFL pick. You’ve got to look them all in the eye and say, ‘We’re going to give you,’ — oh by the way, we won the Women’s Amateur, the Men’s Amateur, the British Open, you want me to go on? We won nine team championships, the CFP and eight NCAA championships.

“With that being said, you have to figure out how to treat your future Olympians in a fair way too. It’d be tough to look the first round MLB pitcher in the eye and say, ‘We can’t do things for you because we’re in the NCAA. Am I asked that question? Yes. But we have to have a National Association. You know, the Association hired a new Executive Director, Charlie Baker, who [used to be a] governor [and now leading] the NCAA,” Sankey continued.

“I think he deserves an opportunity to see how we might improve. He and I spoke this morning about some of the key policy issues. Am I asked? Yeah. Do I think about it? I do. Am I asked more frequently now than ever? Certainly. Does that mean we just take the leap? We’re going to give leadership a time to show leadership, and we have to figure it out after we see some direction.”

While Sankey and the SEC certainly have immense power and would likely flourish out from under the NCAA’s umbrella, it’s fascinating to hear his points, especially with his talk of patience with the NCAA’s Charlie Baker. In the end, it all comes down to the standard, and Sankey is willing to fight for that.

“I’m asked more. I think about it more. There has to be a reason it works. I mean, Florida won — for example, the Men’s Golf Championship. That trophy with the NCAA logo on it means something, because it’s a standard,” Sankey exclaimed. “We have to get that standard right. It’s got to course correct.”

Times are changing, but it’s evident there’s still much to figure out, for Greg Sankey, the SEC and the NCAA as a whole.