Greg Sankey makes firm statement when evaluating state of officiating in SEC

Greg Sankey strives for the SEC to be the best conference in every aspect, including officiating. During an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday, the SEC commissioner made a bold statement about SEC football’s officiating.

“It’s above any other conference by comparison,” Sankey said. “In fact, when we visit with our coaches and they go through some other circumstances, they come back effusive with praise. We’ve done research, we’ve taken surveys, we’ve sought feedback from within our campuses about our officiating program — that doesn’t mean everyone agrees with every call.

“Remember, a football game has 22 players on the field and eight officials. So by number, they are outnumbered. They have an incredible number of responsibilities, and I mean that. Responsibilities to fulfill in a short period of time. They do that very well.”

SEC officials have earned their pay lately. In the past few weeks, multiple SEC fanbases have thrown trash on the field when they disagreed with a call, forcing the game to be stopped. It’s an ugly new trend that referees are being forced to adapt to.

The SEC issues fines for this behavior and personal punishments for any individual caught participating. However, Sankey believes fans shouldn’t behave that way simply due to common courtesy.

“People are making judgments instantaneously,” Sankey said. “They’re allowed discretion. They’re given judgment. There’s a certain amount of contact that’s allowed between a defensive back and a wide receiver. There’s a certain level of technique at the line of scrimmage that football fans may not always understand. I appreciate our officials.

“They spend an incredible amount of time dedicated to getting it right. When they don’t get it right, they feel poorly. They want to. They want to be perfect.”

Sankey further pointed out that SEC officials are under immense pressure. They can’t practice in front of a crowd of over 100,000 people. When they step on the turf, they feel nervous just like the players.

While Greg Sankey believes the SEC has the best officials in college football, he knows there’s always room for improvement.

“We’re going to keep working to get better,” Sankey said. “I’m not satisfied at all with our performance, just like our teams want our performance to improve. I think the good news is our coordinators and those who are involved, want to perform at the highest level as well.”