SEC commissioner Greg Sankey: SEC won’t play football if everyone else cancels season

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference is unlikely to hold a football season if all other Power Five schools cancel. They won’t go it alone.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey responded to reports that the conference is aiming to have a football season in 2020 regardless of the decisions of other Power Five schools, stating that a season would be unlikely if all other conferences made the decision to cancel, per Athens Banner-Herald.

“I don’t think that’s the right direction, really,” Sankey said when asked if the SEC would be comfortable as the only conference playing football this fall. “Could we? Certainly. There’s a difference between can you do something and should you do something in life.

“We’re actually set up our schedule with our own health protocols; we could, if that’s the circumstance, operate on our own. I’m not sure that’s the wisest direction.”

Many have reported the SEC would be the final conference to make a decision, and rumors have circulated about the conference potentially seeking an exclusive television deal in the wake of chatter that the Big Ten and Pac-12 are moving toward delaying the season.

Sankey has said that the SEC plans to be patient regarding a final decision, noting that the conference has already delayed the start of its season and does not want to pull the plug on the season without first finding out whether or not playing is possible.

Sankey says the SEC is in no rush to make a final call on the fate of the season

However, the commissioner admitted that proceeding with a season if all other conferences cancel may not be “the wisest direction,” and stated that the SEC would be unlikely to bring on other schools for a year due to legal and contractual reasons.

With the Big Ten and Pac-12 seasons appearing to be dead in the water, Sankey’s statements place even more importance on the decisions of the Big 12 and ACC, both of which Dan Patrick reported are “on the fence” regarding the upcoming season.

While high-profile players and coaches like Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Nick Saban and Ed Orgeron, among several others, have expressed support for having a season, the decision will ultimately fall to the commissioners and athletic directors of their conferences. If players are not protected with the coronavirus pandemic still raging, college football may not be feasible in 2020.

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