HOOVER, Ala. — As Greg Sankey sat in church Sunday morning, he was reminded of the diversity in the United States.
After what happened last week — notably the death of two African-American men in incidents with police and a sniper attack by an Army veteran that resulted in the death of five police officers in Dallas — Sankey had a heavy heart. But sitting in that church pew in church provided a respite that allowed him to remember there is good in the world.
“I watched a young woman who looks different from me baptized,” Sankey said Monday to open Southeastern Conference Media Days at Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel. “I heard a conversation about the realities around us and the question asked: Have you done enough or what have you done? (That) becomes a difficult question because I interact with people of all races, backgrounds, and colors, yet you’re reminded the answer is likely not.”
When Sankey took the podium, he mentioned the original draft of his remarks had “a variety of policy conversations,” but he deleted those. Although this week will be focused on football and a look ahead to the fall, football wasn’t Sankey’s focus.
Quoting Nelson Mandela from 2000, he talked about how sports can unite people.
“Sports, he said, has the power to change the world,” Sankey said.
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, one of two African-American coaches in the SEC (Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin), agrees that sports can unite people. He also believes coaches and players should use their platform to inspire and to try to make the world a better place.
“If they can use that platform intelligently, and speak to it intelligently, that’s something I’m always looking and pushing these young men toward,” Mason said. “It’s about being able to use every part of the intellect, not just the football IQ.”
Sankey used his remarks to highlight how SEC student-athletes have strived to be better, not as players, but as human beings. He talked about how many in the conference have been giving back to their communities and to the world. He first mentioned Vanderbilt rising junior safety/linebacker Oren Burks. The Fairfax Station, Virginia, native has used the opportunities granted to him by football to be a leader at the school in Nashville, Tennessee. This past year, he served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Last year, he co-founded and coordinated events for campus organization Revitalizing & Empowering Vanderbilt’s African-American Male Population (REVAMP).
“We have a voice, and I feel like it’s our responsibility to use it responsibly,” Burks said. “The things that have been going on, it’s terrible to see. It’s terrible to see people die, whether it’s the cops or African-Americans. We need to value life with more value.”
Sankey pointed out how Mississippi State rising senior linebacker Richie Brown graduated with an industrial technology degree in May with a 3.5 grade-point average. Brown will pursue a master’s degree in business this fall.
“Examples of these young men, and the thousands of young men and young women in our athletics department, show you they are making the most of the opportunity they have in the Southeastern Conference,” Sankey said. “They are the lifeblood of our conference. They are why we do what we do, and they will continue to tell their stories as we keep striving to sustain the high standards of performance on the field, in the classroom and in the community.”
But some view college sports as the problem rather than a solution. Several college athletic departments have taken a hit. The Baylor football team and administration have been accused of covering up sexual assault allegations. The scandal led to the firing of coach Art Briles. In the SEC, Ole Miss and Missouri have received a notice of allegations from the NCAA.
At spring meetings in Destin, Florida, in May, the SEC passed a rule preventing transfers who were previously disciplined by another school due to “serious misconduct” from entering the conference. The SEC defined “serious misconduct” as sexual assault, domestic violence, and other forms of sexual violence.
Sankey was asked why there wasn’t a similar rule for freshmen. Specifically because of the enrollment of Noxubee County High School standout Jeffery Simmons at MSU. Simmons, who will be suspended for the first game of his career and undergo counseling, was arrested and charged with simple assault and disturbing the peace — both misdemeanors — when a video surfaced allegedly showing him striking a woman earlier this year.
“I’m always cautious to people to be careful of judging one’s character on 10 seconds of video,” Sankey said. “Our working group spent a lot of time dealing with that. A couple of concerns that were consistently identified, which is what can you know? What can you learn if there’s something particularly in one’s juvenile past, and can you access information in a consistent way?
“When someone enrolls in college, they are generally an adult. You expect you’ll have access to more consistent information on which to base decisions, so we as a group said let’s go further on the transfer issue. They have been adults on the university campus, and that misbehavior is viewed as rising to a higher level of attention.”
With different questions being asked about domestic abuse, sexual assault, and NCAA investigations and how the SEC deals with those issues, Sankey was asked if SEC has an image problem?
Sankey said there are always “headlines” involving the SEC and its teams, but he defended the league.
“I don’t think that attaches properly to the entire conference,” Sankey said. “The body of work of this conference far outweighs the problems, yet we are attentive to those realities. We understand when the issue arises we need to even be more attentive, be that on campus or as a collective group.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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