Last week, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey appeared on The Paul Finebaum Show to disclose that he learned secondhand of NCAA President Mark Emmert’s decision to cancel spring and winter sports amid COVID-19 concerns.
As per Sankey, he learned of the cancellation from a journalist. He received no prior notification from NCAA officials.
Though it was always going to be the safe decision to make, the communication (or lack thereof) related to the NCAA’s cancellation plans left conference leaders in the dark.
Following Sankey’s revelation, Finebaum, in an appearance on Birmingham’s WJOX, let loose on his perceptions of the issue.
“I know this is the wrong time to make absolute statements but I’m going to make one anyway. That moment was the end of the NCAA as we know it. It may have power in existence for some times but that was an existential moment in the history of the NCAA where knowing the commissioners like we do, they are going to band together at some point, when the storm clears, and are going to say, ‘You know what, we’re not going to take that anymore.’”
Finebaum continued regarding the communication breakdown:
“For Mark Emmert, not to have more consultation with the people that feed the system was inexcusable. And what was interesting is we all praised him on Wednesday afternoon, ‘What a great decision to go ahead and announce that there would be no fans (for the 2020 NCAA Tournament)’ and in the moment it did look good, but once again no consultation with anyone.”
The necessary precautions for the general public’s safety never came into question for Finebaum.
“Quit praising him for making the right call…it wasn’t a difficult call.”
He concluded:
“Let’s not give him too much credit or give anyone too much credit. This was this a domino effect, which we all know was caused by the NBA (being the first major American sporting league to suspend play due to coronavirus concerns).”
For other inquiries into how the global health pandemic affects the world of college sports:
Coronavirus forces NCAA to make big decisions regarding eligibility, recruiting
SEC cancels its men’s basketball tournament due to coronavirus
NCAA grants spring season athletes an extra year of eligibility
Will Georgia football cancel G-Day due to coronavirus?
Georgia football Pro Day postponed amid coronavirus outbreak