HOOVER, Ala. — Greg Sankey laid out broad goals for the Southeastern Conference to win every championship and graduate every athlete in his first Media Days address as commissioner, but said the league would not accept "even one step back" in its improved record of NCAA rules compliance over the [ast several years.
"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," Sankey said.
In an aspirational speech that mostly avoided specifics about policy issues surrounding college sports, Sankey said the league would establish a pair of working groups to look at "conduct expectations" for athletes and the environment around NCAA rules compliance and enforcement.
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"We have an opportunity to lead national policy," Sankey said.
This spring the SEC enacted a rule banning its schools from accepting transfers who were dismissed from a previous school due to an issue involving domestic abuse or sexual violence. The working group will take a broader look at behavior, Sankey said, encompassing "student-athlete conduct issues and policies, campus policies, national requirements … we'll do great work to ensure we're in the right place from the standpoint of oversight and policy."
Sankey also made a pair of comments that could be interpreted as shots at initiatives undertaken by other conferences. Rather than focus on freshman ineligibility — a pet project of Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany — Sankey said the focus should be on developing a "college-going culture" that emphasizes academic progress in high school.
The SEC is adding a position — director of student-athlete engagement — to focus on those issues.
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On the idea of playing games overseas — something the Pac-12 and the University of Texas have aggressively pursued — Sankey said the focus should be on the communities in which the schools reside.
"Magnifying our global influence isn't simply about playing games in London or Asia or South America," he said.
Much of Sankey's address focused on academics, and he praised professional athletes like former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and Vanderbilt receiver Earl Bennett for recently coming back to finish degrees after leaving college early for the NFL.
"Three simple words that define my focus: scholarships, champions and leaders," he said. "Scholars first, champions second."
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