SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey yesterday at his inaugural state-of-the-league address offered his vision for the conference and “three words that he says define his focus: scholars, champions and leaders," according to Natalie Pierre Williams of the BIRMINGHAM NEWS. To that, Sankey announced a "second new position he has added to his staff," as the league's Birmingham HQ now will include a Dir of Student-Athlete Engagement. Sankey said the person named to the position will be "focused on fostering collaboration among our existing conference programs on our campuses and developing new strategies to meet the unique demands faced by our student-athletes." Last month Sankey announced that attorney William King "would join the league's staff as its first-ever internal legal counsel." Both of Sankey's hires are "directly in line with his vision for the league." Sankey said the new role he introduced yesterday reflects his desire to "graduate every student-athlete." Sankey has shown that he is "not shying away" from "being the leader he hopes his league's student-athletes become, ones that 'influence the world' -- or at least a part of the world" (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 7/14). Meanwhile, Sankey said that the SEC "would not accept 'even one step back' in its improved record of NCAA rules compliance." Sankey: "Our goal is to never return a championship, never pull down a championship banner, never vacate any wins, never have any team banned from postseason play due to NCAA infractions." USA TODAY's Dan Wolken writes Sankey delivered an "aspirational speech that mostly avoided specifics about policy issues surrounding college sports," and much of his address "focused on academics." Sankey: "We have an opportunity to lead national policy" (USA TODAY, 7/14).
CONDUCT POLICY: Sankey said the SEC is in the process of forming a "working group" to study how to best minimize student-athlete conduct issues. Sankey: "The idea behind a working group is to foster a conversation about how we might encounter the concern on conduct in a more global way." ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough noted Sankey "stopped short of specifics on who will form the group or how it will operate" (ESPN.com, 7/13). Meanwhile, Sankey said that in the wake of South Carolina's "official act last week" of removing the Confederate flag, the state now "will be considered for league championship events" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/14).
GO YOUR OWN WAY: In St. Louis, Dave Matter notes Sankey "captured his entrance" to media days on Periscope, despite live streaming of the event being prohibited. But if "anyone can skirt the rules, it's the new boss." Sankey "read a 32-page speech that touched on the league’s evolution" under former Commissioner Mike Slive and quoted Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/14). In Birmingham, Kevin Scarbinsky writes Sankey "demonstrated in several ways" that he is "his own man." Sankey was "just as much in command of the room as anyone who knows him would expect." He made a "strong and sure debut" (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 7/14). In Baton Rouge, Scott Rabalais writes Sankey "was a hit," coming off as "intelligent and confident, a touch idealistic ... with just enough wry wit to be endearing" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 7/14). Rabalais writes Sankey "has a tough act to follow" in Slive, but yesterday "was a confidence-inspiring start" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 7/14). Meanwhile, Rabalais lists "a few more tasks" for Sankey to "add to his load." Birmingham is a "wonderful city, but it's the last place the SEC office should be." Rabalais lists Atlanta, Charlotte or Nashville as other possibilities (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 7/14).
AHEAD OF THE CHAINS: CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Solomon wrote Sankey "offered a different way of messaging," beginning with his Periscope entrance and then "speaking in front of three large video screens and taking questions from the podium." It was in "stark contrast to Slive's style for 13 years as commissioner." Presentation appears to be "very much on Sankey's mind." As Sankey gave his speech, tweets from his new Twitter account "were being sent out with some of his aspirational messages." Meanwhile, the SEC said that one player from each team "was invited to media days because of a positive personal story each could tell" (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/13). In Miami, Jesse Simonton writes Sankey "delivered a forward-thinking, aspirational address." He noted the "first-year success of the SEC Network (70 million subscribers), plugged his Twitter account, stressed a league of compliance and took a shot at Big 10 commissioner Jim Delany over freshmen eligibility" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/14). In Ft. Worth, Jimmy Burch writes, "Say this much for new SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. Neither he, nor his league’s football teams, will back down from lofty expectations" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 7/14).
THE CIRCUS GOES ON: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jonathan Clegg writes there is "one area where the SEC’s superiority remains resolutely undiminished: the length of its preseason media event." It is a "circus that stretches across four days." By contrast, the Big 12, ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten media days "all take place over two days" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/14).
