Greg Sankey would 'welcome' national standard for college sports - ESPN

DESTIN, Fla. — SEC commissioner Greg Sankey laid out in general terms on Monday evening what congressional help for college sports could look like, saying they constitute «a national system that deserves national standards.»

In his opening remarks at the SEC's annual meetings here, Sankey addressed what college sports could look like in the wake of an agreement by the Power 5 conferences and the NCAA to settle three antitrust cases.

As the terms of the settlement came together in recent weeks, college sports officials cautioned it should not be viewed as a magic bullet to the issues — both legal and otherwise — in college sports but rather as just the beginning for forging a new era where schools share revenue with athletes.

«I think Congress has still an opportunity to use the structure of this settlement to enact legislation to strengthen the future of college sports,» Sankey said.

Sankey said he already has been to Washington, D.C., at least five times this year. He added that in entering his 10th year as the SEC commissioner, one significant change is the number of members of Congress in his phone. He described the effort evolving from a «curiosity» to «a little bit of interest» and that the education of what's needed would be a «continuing repetition.»

«I would welcome action between now and the election,» Sankey said. «Most people with whom I converse say that's unlikely, and so your educational process will continue post-election, and it will depend on who's in leadership of each party within the House and Senate, where the majorities lie and who occupies the White House. Those realities guide conversations.

»So, as much as it's been unpredictable, I think it will still be unpredictable."

Any congressional action