SEC Commissioner Sankey “concern very high” Over Loss of Football Season

In an interview this morning on Marty and McGee on ESPN Radio, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey showed his concern about the 2020 college football season being lost due to COVID-19. 

“We are running out of time to correct and get things right,” Sankey stated. 

“We put a medical advisory group together in early April with the question, ‘What do we have to do to get back to activity?’ and they’ve been a big part of the conversation,” Sankey said. “But the direct reality is not good and the notion that we’ve politicized medical guidance of distancing, and breathing masks, and hand sanitization, ventilation of being outside, being careful where you are in buildings. There’s some very clear advice about — you can’t mitigate and eliminate every risk, but how do you minimize the risk? … We are running out of time to correct and get things right, and as a society we owe it to each other to be as healthy as we can be.”

Sankey continues to stand by prior statements that a decision on the SEC’s conference slate must come by late July. 

He also made certain that the Big Ten and PAC-12 decisions to play a conference-only schedule did not put added pressure on the SEC to do the same. 

“That’s why I don’t feel any pressure because of somebody else’s decisions. We’re trying to make the right decisions for us, for the Southeastern Conference. It does have an impact because I’ve said publicly we’re all linked nationally, so when other people make decisions, yup, there’s an impact, but also we’re going to look at our situation and make a decision that’s appropriate for the Southeastern Conference and most importantly for the health of our student-athletes.”