Tag: SEC COVID-19

Greg Sankey warns of fines, bans for breaking COVID-19 protocols

The SEC commissioner is serious about coaches complying with COVID-19 protocols during games.

The SEC commissioner isn’t messing around.

From ESPN:

For the second straight week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent out an internal memo to athletic directors and coaches on the need to follow coronavirus protocols, this time outlining fines and possible suspensions in the event that they do not do so.

The memo, which was obtained by ESPN, cited the recent spread of the coronavirus in the White House and the effect of positive tests on the NFL schedule.

Bolded and underlined for emphasis, the memo stated, “Do not relax — and do not let those around you relax — because of a few weeks of success.”

The memo states that programs whose coaches, staff or other personnel fail to adhere to the approved task force requirements will be assessed a $100,000 reduction in conference revenue. The amount will increase by $100,000 for each subsequent week of noncompliance.

“The imposition of any reduction in Conference revenue for failure to substantially comply with or repeated disregard of the SEC masking requirement will be determined at the Commissioner’s discretion,” the memo states. “In addition, individuals who fail to comply with or disregard the masking requirement could be subject to penalties, including but not limited to, suspension for a specified period.”

In consecutive weeks, high-profile SEC games have featured coaches improperly wearing their face coverings. Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was shown frequently with his mask pulled down during his team’s win over LSU on Sept. 26, and on Saturday, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher was shown repeatedly not wearing his face covering during the TV broadcast of the Aggies’ loss to Alabama.

Last week, Sankey sent a memo to coaches and ADs following the league’s opening weekend reminding everyone to wear face coverings and saying that “additional action” could be taken if they do not follow protocol.

Big Ten announces teams will play conference-only games for fall of 2020

The Big Ten Conference has announced that all fall sports will be comprised of conference-only matchups for the 2020 season due to COVID-19.

The Big Ten Conference announced that their schools will participate in conference-only games for all sports this fall.  The decision came Thursday, one day after the Ivy League cancelled all fall sports for the 2020 season.

This decision by the Big Ten is based on the uncertainties that are presented by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, reaching new highs in the United States.

“We are facing uncertain and unprecedented times, and the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, game officials, and others associated with our sports programs and campuses remain our number one priority,” the conference released in a statement this Thursday.

Big Ten fall sports include football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, and women’s volleyball.  The decision was made based on medical advice.

This now begs the question of what other conferences will do to take action in securing their athletes safety.  The Big 12, Pac-12, ACC and SEC have a spotlight on themselves following a bold move by the Big Ten.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said that the SEC “will continue to meet regularly with our campus leaders in the coming weeks, guided by medical advisors, to make the important decisions necessary to determine the best path forward related to SEC fall sports.”

“We recognize the challenges ahead and know the well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans must remain at the forefront of those decisions,” Sankey also stated.

Since fall college athletes return to team activities on June 1st, there have been COVID-19 cases popping up in a number of schools including Ohio State, Clemson, LSU and Texas.  Ohio State suspended practices and team activities on Wednesday as a safety precaution.

The Big Ten’s statement included that the conference is “also prepared not to play in order to ensure the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes should the circumstances so dictate.”

Georgia football’s non-conference games scheduled this season include Virginia, East Tennessee State, Louisiana Monroe and of course, Georgia Tech.  Should the SEC move to conference-only games, the Dawgs’ schedule will only get tougher, potentially adding matchups such as LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Mississippi State.