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Published Aug 10, 2020
SEC staying patient
Anthony Dasher  •  UGASports
Editor

Although questions remain regarding the immediate future of college football for 2020, the Southeastern Conference still hopes patience pays off, and that there will be a season this fall.

On Monday, conference commissioner Greg Sankey took to Twitter, issuing the league’s first official comments since news broke earlier in the day that the Big Ten had voted to cancel its season and that the Pac-12 might not be far behind.

Those earlier reports were later refuted, with word that the Big Ten presidents and chancellors will meet by video conferencing to discuss the league’s football future—which, according to ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, will focus on a delay and not an actual cancellation of the season.

Last week, the SEC announced that it was delaying the start of its season to Sept. 26 when it will begin a conference-only football schedule.

Apparently, those plans remain in play.

“Be patient. Take time when making decisions,” Sankey tweeted out. This is all new and you will gain better information each day. The SEC has been deliberate at each step since March . . . slowed the return to practice . . . delayed the first game to respect the start of fall semester.”

Sankey’s comments didn’t end there.

“We’ve developed testing protocols. We know concerns remain. We have never had a football season in a Covid-19 environment. Can we play? I do not know. We have not stopped trying. We support, educate and care for student-athletes every day, and will continue to do so . . . every day.”

Sankey’s comments came after a video conference earlier in the day with athletic directors.

It appears the league is in lockstep on the season being played.

In a text to UGASports, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said, “We agree with (Sankey’s) statement.”

Other school administrators took to the airwaves and social media.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter tweeted out, “Although there’s a lot of uncertainty, our kids want to play," using the hashtag “#WeWantToPlay” which was started by college players Sunday night.

Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman tweeted that she met with the entire Volunteers football team, stating that she asked if they wanted to play and receive a resounding yes.

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek was even more succinct.

“We’re not going to panic because another Power Five conference maybe makes a different decision,” Yurachek said in a story posted by sister site HawgBeat.com. “In the Southeastern Conference, Greg Sankey does an incredible job leading us and part of his leadership the past several months is for us to be patient and take time in making decisions. These are some really impactful decisions we’re having to make, and there’s no need to rush into making those decisions.”

So, SEC teams will continue the buildup to the start of fall camp, which is scheduled to begin on Monday the 17th, before students report to campus on Aug. 20 in Athens.

According to UGASports’ Radi Nabulsi, the Bulldogs held workouts Monday that included walkthroughs and team meetings.

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