Greg Sankey looks ahead to House v. NCAA final approval hearing: 'We just want answers'

As a weekend of men’s and women’s Final Four action gets underway Friday night, anticipation continues to build for Monday. Not only is it the NCAA men’s basketball tournament national championship game, but it’s also the day the House v. NCAA settlement final approval hearing will take place.

Judge Claudia Wilken of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California will oversee the hearing, which centers around an agreement that could transform college athletics. It would usher in the revenue-sharing era as schools would be able to directly share up to $20.5 million with athletes while also putting new roster limits in place.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is among those looking ahead to Monday’s hearing. He spoke at length about its importance during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show Friday afternoon, pointing out he and his colleagues are, quite simply, looking for answers.

“I’ve never been one who thinks a court outcome or a settlement outcome resolves everything,” Sankey said from Tampa ahead of the women’s Final Four. “We want to resolve as much as possible. We’ve had an incredible group of people in the Southeastern Conference, our outside counsel, along with the same for our colleague conferences. And even the NCAA, dealing with what form the future may take.

“We now are awaiting the judge’s decision, and I think that produces I think a level of frustration. We just want answers, and we’re used to having answers in college sports.”

The House settlement would also set up a clearinghouse that would vet contracts and approve NIL deals worth more than $600. That’s an area of the settlement at which some state bills, such as in Nebraska and Oregon, are taking aim.

But Sankey also lamented the amount of agents and representatives who say they are acting in athletes’ best interest. He said he doesn’t think that’s always the case, which is why he’s looking for stability in the current landscape depending on how the hearing goes.

“Young people are dealing with so-called agents and runners and representatives and people who hang shingles out telling them they have their best interest in mind,” Sankey said. “I’ve never been convinced that’s true, whether it’s the percent take from NIL deals or the movement that takes place. Some of those stories are yet to be told.

“So we’ll work through the court hearing. We’ll await the judge’s decision. The plaintiffs and the class that’s represented by the plaintiffs have a role to play there, as well. We’ll continue the conversation with Congress because even in a time of tumult nationally, we have needs that need to be addressed through Congressional action.”

Greg Sankey: ‘We need national standards for college athletics’

In addition to the House v. NCAA settlement, Greg Sankey has been a proponent for national legislation from Congress regarding college athletics. While states have their own laws about NIL rules, he reiterated his desire for a national standard.

April 8, one day after the House settlement final approval hearing, a Congressional hearing will take place titled, “Game Changer: the NLRB, Student-Athletes, and the Future of College Sports” before the House subcommittee on health, employment, labor and pensions. The following day, April 9, college sports leaders – including commissioners, athletics directors, coaches and athletes – will visit Capitol Hill for College Sports Day.

Sankey cited the need for “protection” for athletes even if the House v. NCAA settlement receives final approval. With that, he said, there’s also a need for a “national standard” that Congress can provide.

“The next reality, and I alluded to it, is a conversation yet again in Washington D.C.,” Sankey said. “We need national standards for college athletics, and whether it’s state legislative action … that’s been adopted, some that’s being introduced yet again or legal activity, we have lost the ability through the NCAA to establish those national standards. That is something that Congress can do. That’s not about being a commissioner or being a conference. That’s about the interactions of young people.

“So our student-athletes tell us, ‘I just want to know when I tip off people on both sides of the line – both benches – are held to the same standards that I am held.’ And that’s in basketball or in football or across the dugouts in baseball and softball. Whatever the sport may be. And then, a level of protection for those young people, as well. We do great work providing medical care, mental wellness support, nutritional support. I’ve asked people to tell us, what do you want us to do more? We’ll even enshrine those, if that’s the kind of oversight that Congress asks to develop the trust that I think we deserve.”