Greg Sankey sets the table for the 2024 SEC Spring Meetings by saying a lot, and nothing at all in some cases
SANDESTIN, Fla. — On the eve of the annual SEC Spring Meetings, Greg Sankey did something he’s never done before.
The SEC’s commissioner, now in his ninth year on the job, came off the sunny, Florida beaches and delayed any Memorial Day dinner plans by holding court with reporters for more than 40 minutes Monday evening before the event officially starts on Tuesday.
In his first public comments since the historic NCAA V. House settlement case, Sankey addressed a wide range of topics that will command attention throughout the rest of the week.
He made a little news (the SEC is actively considering injury reports for certain sports and some football kickoff times will be released this week), had a very strange comment about taxes and ushered his usual array of corny (but true) dad jokes.
“Eight years ago I said, the times, they are a changing,” he paused with a chuckle.
“That was the understatement of the decade.”
Sankey’s reaction to House v. NCAA
Sankey said plenty regarding the recent landmark decision that resulted in a $2.8 billion settlement, but perhaps what was most interesting was what he didn’t say about the House v. NCAA aftermath.
For some background, much remains in flux even after the seismic decision last week. The terms are complicated and leave a lot to still be finalized (like Title IV, collective bargaining, what it means for the future of NIL, etc.)
Sankey quipped that nine years ago he didn’t go to Washington, D.C. that often or have had a bunch of phone numbers from members of Congress, and now he’s making multi-monthly trips to the capitol and his phonebook is filled with elected officials.
Perhaps that’s why Sankey sounded so much like a politician when discussing whether or not athletes should have a collective bargaining agreement as a way to resolve some of the continued chaos around the transfer portal and NIL world — even with the settlement that guarantees revenue sharing with the athletes.
“To be in collective bargaining, you have to be in an employment situation,” he said.
“I have not had a student-athlete come to me and say they want to be taxed like an employee.”
No one believes Sankey doesn’t know that these athletes already pay 1099 taxes on their current NIL dealings, so it was a very strange statement to make.
And yet, Sankey chose the rest of his words regarding the fallout of House v. NCAA very carefully Monday.
He resisted leaning one way or another on athletes becoming true employees or where he officially stood re: collective bargaining. He advocated for laws to “help us get out of this constant cycle of litigation,” but acknowledged in the same breath that Congress was unlikely to pass any legislation before November’s election.
Ultimately, Sankey’s true leanings may be revealed later this week, which could be a harbinger for how the future of college sports could play out in the coming years.
Sankey joked Monday that he’s not “a prophet,” but he remains perhaps the most powerful and influential figure in collegiate athletics, and as the lone commissioner from the pre-NIL era, he swings a big stick in what that future will look like.
Greg Sankey set the table for a slew of other topics this week in Destin including:
Injury reports?
The SEC plans to hold “conversations” this week about implementing “availability reports” leading up to games in football, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s baseball and softball, Sankey said.
Sports betting for the win!
No final decision will be made this week, but it does sound like the SEC is actually serious about real injury reports (think NFL releases with designations without, questionable and probable) to curb coaches from constantly hiding injury information around players on their roster.
While those who dabble in sports gambling will certainly be thrilled, this is something coaches like LSU’s Brian Kelly and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz have long pinned for.
Roster Caps?
One of the major topics this week in Destin will be teams’ roster caps, which potentially could heavily affect programs’ scholarship limits for certain sports.
The NCAA settlement called for the end of limits, i.e., 85 scholarships for football or 13 for men’s basketball. For now, it’s unclear if the caps are for every team in the NCAA, though.
The news is potentially great for SEC baseball coaches, who currently have just 11.7 scholarships to dish out to an entire roster, but football coaches are more weary of a hard 85-roster cap limit, and have already started to gripe to Sankey behind the scenes in recent months.
His response?
“Hey slow down, guys.”
He was clear that the creation of new roster limits was merely “a concept” and not a formality. Yet.
Football coaches certainly hope not. Many are incensed at the idea of eliminating walk-on players and programs, and are at least pushing for an 85-scholarship limit with some sort of model similar to the NFL’s practice squad for walk-on players.
“I think it’s a bit of a threat, a danger that we can’t have a conversation about concepts that don’t populate themselves outside the room. So then that provokes a reaction,” Sankey said.
“I know other conferences have discussed it, coaches have then texted our coaches. They get fired up and we said, ‘Just wait, we’re gonna have a conversation.’ That’s where it is.”
Kickoff times to be released
Sankey said the SEC will announce several kickoff times for the first three weeks of the season on Thursday. They’ll also identify some potential flex times (afternoon or evening) for certain games later in the season.
“We want to be out ahead of game time announcements for fans.”
This is one of the major benefits of the SEC’s new media rights agreement with ESPN. Because the World Wide Leader now controls the entire board (still, RIP, SEC on CBS) the schedule can be set much further in advance, which is a huge boon for fans planning to travel to potential games.
However, don’t expect any future scheduling news
The SEC’s commissioner noted that the league’s future schedule — a dominant topic here the last few years — is unlikely to be a big talking point this week.
Earlier this spring, the SEC announced that the 2025 schedule would just be the inverse of the 2024 slate, and the 2026 schedule (9 vs. 8, pods, etc.) would be discussed at a later date.
Apparently, that is not this week! So we get to do this whole song and dance again another year from now.
Rejoice!
Jaden Rashada’s lawsuit against Florida head coach Billy Napier
Georgia backup quarterback Jaden Rashada is suing Florida head coach Billy Napier, among others, over as dispute from his famed NIL deal that was set to pay the former 2023 signee over $13 million. The 37-page complaint alleges that Napier, former UF director of NIL Marcus Castro-Walker and Hugh Hathcock, the program’s top booster, made “false and fraudulent promises,” including a reported $1 million payment promised for Rashada’s signature on National Signing Day.
Asked for his thoughts on an active player at Georgia suing the head coach at Florida, Sankey said, “Well I’m not a fan of lawsuits.”
“That’s what I think.”
I’m sure Napier feels the same way.
It will be interesting to hear if Napier vehemently denies Rashada’s complaint. Or simply cites his attorney told him to decline all comments on an open case.
Also noteworthy: What Kirby Smart, who reportedly gave Rashada his blessing for the lawsuit, has to say about the entire subject.
Sankey also added that, “It’s not the only lawsuit involving a coach over the last year, won’t be the last. You know that we have a legal system and people have rights to pursue what they view as grievances in the legal system sorts that out.”
Hello, Oklahoma and Texas
This week will also mark the official introduction of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. Both schools will have their head coaches (Brent Venables and Steve Sarkisian) in town, as well as ADs and other school administrators.
In his opening comments, Sankey joked that it was time to retire his eight-year-old, 14-team SEC belt in lieu of the conference’s new 16-team league.
“It served me well, but we’re in a new era,” Sankey said.