For Ole Miss football and the fans this is a most curious yet serious question. Apparently nowhere. During the whole NCAA investigation Sankey and the SEC office have been quiet. Nothing, not a peep. No reaction at all and squarely in the midst of what could be the nastiest NCAA case in recent history.
Ole Miss football fans breathed a deep sigh of relief Tuesday afternoon with the University of Mississippi’s official Response to the Notice of Allegations. I know it sounds strange to say we were relieved. However, many of us can remember the NCAA investigation which ended a strong Brewer era at Ole Miss. Then the ‘old guard’ administration caved to the NCAA and threw Brewer under the bus.
Thankfully, at least at the moment, it appears Tuesday’s official response by the University of Mississippi is nothing like the past. It happened as most of us expected in the manner which AD Ross Bjork stated in the February NCAA Case Update. Some were shocked and others surprised. Maybe not by the subject matter within the response itself, but even more so by the way the Ole Miss investigation completely shames the NCAA.
In fact, this may be the very first time any NCAA investigation has been so thoroughly dismantled in a response. Of course, this entire fiasco has played out thus far with the SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey standing on the sideline doing nothing.
Of course, I’m certain if it were any other team in the SEC being in an obvious witch hunt the SEC Commissioner would be all over it. I can’t imagine a Alabama team ever doing anything wrong in the eyes of the SEC or NCAA. However, let’s just say they did. Do you really ever believe it would get to this point? Hell no and you know it!
So where has Sankey been throughout this whole soap opera? SEC Commissioner Sankey has been very disconnected from Ole Miss on every level. He has a pretty good reason for not getting involved in one sense. He is very connected to the NCAA.
Where Does Sankey Pledge?
Ole Miss Rebels Football
First of all, the answer to this question is likely the reason why we’ve heard very little from the SEC Commissioner. Greg Sankey is not only SEC Commissioner but also holds a seat as Chairman on the NCAA Committee On Infractions. How convenient is that?
Of course, Commissioner Sankey has recused himself from the Ole Miss case because of this. It was naturally the right thing to do and was expected by many of us. However, does the position on the COI impede his ability to perform his duties as SEC Commissioner for a charter member of the conference?
We’ve heard so little out of Birmingham on the subject in defense of Ole Miss it certainly seems a legitimate question. It’s pretty sad actually. It would seem the SEC would at least try to eliminate the embarrassment of what this case is going to cause. Apparently while Sankey has recused himself from showing his public support for Ole Miss, the task has fallen on Larry Templeton. Templeton is the ‘Consultant To The Commissioner’ and former Athletic Director at Miss State. We can see how it’s worked out for us so far. Lot’s of shade around Birmingham lately.
More To The Story
Of course, there is more to the story. There’s always more. Especially when you read the response to the NOA. Just when you think it can’t be anymore bizarre. Immunity was granted to at least 3 student athletes by NCAA enforcement. One of those we know was once a student-athlete with Ole Miss and transferred to Auburn. The other two we know were high-profile recruits who signed with MSU and UGA.
As reported by Hugh Kellenburger of The Clarion-Ledger in April, Sankey denied having any involvement in the immunity deals.
"I’m not involved in granting immunity around SEC student-athletes,” Sankey said. “I’m walled off completely. I don’t talk to colleagues on the committee."
Apparently nobody in Birmingham is talking. I feel so much more reassured now. I mean don’t you? No news is good news right?
Sankey has been the center of controversy in other cases where he was requested to recuse himself because of his position as SEC Commissioner. The latest was made in the wild academic fraud case by the University of North Carolina citing a conflict of interest for Sankey. Of course, Sankey refused to recuse himself. Yes, this is the same UNC which just won the NCAA Basketball Championship.
So Sankey had no involvement in the case as far as immunity for the players in question. That’s a good thing. Sankey may not be front and center in the Ole Miss case from an NCAA perspective, and he shouldn’t be. You can guarantee he is mum on the subject as SEC Commissioner as well. However, I have to believe his position with the NCAA has hindered his job as SEC Commissioner.
In Closing
This whole investigation/case has the potential to be one helluva mudslinging and I can honestly see it headed in that direction. Rumor has it the University of Mississippi’s official response was just the tip of the iceberg. That surely can’t fare well for others who are involved in this case, immunity or no immunity. Especially those who give false information while under protection doled out by the NCAA.
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The fact there are others schools involved and the names were redacted certainly proves there will be more revelations in the near future. When those witches are tied to the stake we’ll see how fast the SEC Commissioner and his consultant come running. I really can’t wait to see the whole thing play out. Oh yeah, this is going to be really good stuff.