SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s concern for football season is ‘high to very high’

There’s a lack of confidence that there’ll be SEC football in the fall.

College football is traditionally held at the end of August, but given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that’s far from guaranteed. Voluntary on-campus workouts have been suspended at certain universities, and the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced their seasons will feature conference-only games.

But what about the powerhouse SEC?

During an interview with ESPN Radio’s “Marty and McGee” on Saturday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey revealed that his concern for the upcoming season are “high to very high.”

"“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, per ESPN. “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.”"

SEC expected to make decision later this month

After seeing the Big Ten and Pac-12 make their aforementioned announcement, Sankey said that he feels no pressure to follow the same route. He did, however, say that he’s expecting to make a final decision in late July. Plus, the SEC is holding a meeting with all 14 athletic directors on Monday in Birmingham, Ala.

Given the Pac-12 is moving towards in-conference games this year, that means that Alabama vs. USC and Texas A&M vs. Colorado have been canceled effectively.

As mentioned earlier, some football programs have ended workouts indefinitely. This week, the Ohio State Buckeyes suspended on-campus training due to an undetermined amount of positive COVID-19 cases. A couple of weeks ago, 30 LSU Tigers football players entered quarantine due to either testing positive or coming into contact with someone who contracted the coronavirus.

Sankey is bracing for the inevitable, which could very well be the delay of the college football season.