He has a Twitter handle (@GregSankey) and is not shy about using it. It’s a small representation of the changes in the conference, he said.
He quoted Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” as he addressed the media.
“‘Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pen and keep your eyes wide open, the chance won’t come again,’” Sankey said.
Times are changing but the goal of the conference is the same: to win championships. The goal extends beyond that, though. While on a flight back from the inaugural College Football Playoff at the Sugar Bowl, Sankey tried not to dwell on Alabama’s loss to Ohio State and looked toward the future. He initially scribbled down his focus: scholars, champions and leaders.
The goal is to graduate every student-athlete. Sankey cited former student-athletes at every conference school to illustrate how even those who went pro can come back and graduate — albeit not in the traditional four-year setting.
“These stories represent just a piece of what is being done to graduate every student-athlete and to foster the lifelong link to our universities, scholars first and champions second,” Sankey said.
Scholars comes first, just as student does for a student-athlete. The conference put together 14 stories of attending players who have done something outside of the traditional classroom setting.
“I’m the commissioner of the SEC, but they are the SEC,” Sankey said. “The times are changing. It is because of these stories and more that convince me the best days of the Southeastern Conference are still ahead.”
