The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is having “real” conversations about breaking away from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) due to frustrations over changes in college sports, according to Commissioner Greg Sankey.

Background

Sankey’s comments came during a 45-minute meeting with reporters at the start of SEC football media days, where he discussed several issues facing college sports, including Congressional legislation, litigation over the new five-year eligibility rule, and the future of the College Football Playoff.

The SEC and Big Ten have proposed a 10-point paper outlining changes they would like to see to the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill in the Senate. The conferences are negotiating with lawmakers over potential tweaks to the bill, which aims to address issues such as name, image, and likeness payments to players.

SEC Concerns

The SEC argues that the bill does not go far enough in limiting the possibility of lawsuits against conferences and schools. The conference also wants better language to preempt state laws in favor of a national one regarding NIL payments, which have become increasingly common in college sports.

Sankey expressed concerns about the rollout of the recent NCAA rule that rewrote eligibility standards, which has led to lawsuits. He also called for more transparency about who pays players and for what, including clearer guidelines for paying players.

Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman, the chair of the SEC presidents, released a statement saying that conference leaders have provided feedback on the bill from the perspective of university leaders trying to navigate the current state of college athletics.

Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.