BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In May, during a virtual call with his conference football coaches, Greg Sankey spoke with such discontent for the NCAA that his tone startled many of those listening.
Sankey, largely known for guarded and cautious comments, even those made in private, doesn’t often admonish organizations, entities or people in such a way. Yet, here he was, the SEC commissioner skewering the association within which his league operates, this time over policies that his conference opposes.
“He was hot,” says one listener. “He ain’t happy.”
The anecdote is merely a window into the feelings of one of college athletics’ most powerful figures, a slice of what Sankey has revealed in increments publicly: He’s disappointed in and frustrated with the governing body of college sports.