Greg Sankey’s frustration with the NCAA reaches boiling point: ‘Sometimes you have to be a jerk’

DESTIN, Fla. – In a college world increasingly full of empty suits, chewing gum and celebrity lawyers, Greg Sankey made room Thursday to declare that he is not a member of those distinguished clubs.

The 59-year-old SEC commissioner, in his ninth year, did more than that at the conclusion of the SEC’s spring meetings. It’s about time and from him time.

In his understated way, Sankey seethed, declaring his frustration with a system he is a part of and increasingly despises. His comments came after a question at a final press conference about the SEC’s recent partnership with the Big Ten.

To backtrack: After the college football playoff championship game in January, Sankey flew to Phoenix for a series of NCAA meetings “where we accomplished little.” That’s when he decided to call Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.

“After traveling home, [I thought], ‘You know, we have some really big problems. It didn’t seem to me like we were working to solve some of the medium problems,’” Sankey said Thursday. “For a long time I thought if the two conferences agreed, you could fulfill a leadership responsibility. That was the genesis of the phone call.”

Since then, the two commissioners have stressed that they are not united to dominate the world. They decided that agendas should be set across the country. The NCAA’s inattention to, well, everythinghas sent the association into a legal spiral where it is currently trying to figure out the ramifications of the Chamber’s agreement.

In the end, SEC and Big Ten schools may bear the damage. But that’s not the point. The leadership void in the system is enormous.

Turns out it was Sankey’s turn to fill it on Thursday.

“We need to talk more, not less,” Sankey said of his partnership with Petitti. “The line reached me at the end of [that] week – this wasn’t a flash in the pan moment – the realization that you’re not going to solve big problems in big rooms full of people. That’s an opinion. I think it’s a shared opinion.”

So in many ways, Sankey is flexing. And as the de facto most powerful person in college sports, he can. Maybe he should. It’s been a tough 12 months especially. Sankey’s frustration has obviously grown since the NCAA Council’s update last summer on the progress of an NIL working group. Thursday’s aha moment, the jarring signal that Sankey was upset, came when he was asked about his experience on the NCAA Council.

“I decided to wait and see what people had to say,” Sankey said. “Nobody said a word. I walked in and basically said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ So I was an idiot. I tried not to be an idiot all the time…but sometimes you have to be an idiot.”

Sankey has become more agitated in recent months. Bringing up this memory was a trigger. And he wasn’t close to finishing. Sankey is clearly frustrated with the pace of change, as the NCAA now passes House agreement it will cost schools billions.

“There are times at work when you are a bully and times when you need to be a statesman,” Sankey continued. “I try not to be a bully, really, but that day was extremely frustrating. It was for a lot of reasons. I, as commissioner, can invite Oklahoma and Texas to participate. I can sign media deals… but I can’t decide who’s in women’s golf team.”

The NCAA has been so inattentive that it has been forced, at the tip of the judge’s gavel, to allow players to transfer as many times as they want. Academics now seem to be an afterthought. The administrators here failed to explain the next steps following the Chamber village.

CBS Sports has learned that the parties in the House were expected to present a lengthy agreement to the courts by the end of June, beginning of July. When asked to define a long-term deal, an exasperated Sankey said Thursday, “long.”

“We are in the process of building the bridge as we cross the river and we are writing the manual with one of our hands as we do so,” the commissioner said.

It was the most passionate Sankey had been – at least in this setting – since his emotional reaction to SEC schools allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages at games.

It was also an explanation of why Sankey, as senior FBS commissioner, not only has enormous influence but deserves it. There is a management angle to all of this.

“And responsibility,” Sankey said.

Throughout his career, he has been a staunch supporter of the university model. He’s also not a liar in times like this. As co-president of long-awaited Transformation Committeethe experience was anything but transformative.

“We were told, ‘Blue sky thinking. Everything is on the table,'” Sankey said. “My frustration is: don’t ask me to co-chair something…if the game we’re playing is you don’t really have the responsibility to introduce broad thinking.”

The NCAA often responds to criticism by reminding anyone who will listen that the NCAA is the member. But they’re not the ones responsible for imposing weird rules, dragging their feet on transfer waivers, and wasting time penalizing schools for serving cream cheese with bagels at the training table. The bizarre little nugget of a rule was rescinded a long time ago, thank goodness, but its equivalent in the modern era can be punishing, uh, mighty old southern Utah while turning a blind eye to the big boys.

On a muggy afternoon on the Gulf Coast, the most powerful person in college sports didn’t care who heard him inside a small basement auditorium at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort.

Many will now hear him outside of it.

Yes, Sankey makes millions. Yes, the Power Five has evolved into the Power Four and into the Power Two as the Big Ten and SEC begin to dictate terms. By demanding 58% of revenue in the CFP’s new media rights deal, the conferences reminded the room that their teams occupied nearly half the bracket but previously only got an equal share of revenue.

They can clearly operate outside of the NCAA. Sankey certainly didn’t need to make that clear. It’s already taken over.

Now, what does the NCAA do with these turbulent times? This moment began when the Harvards and Yales of the world were able to tell Michigan and Texas what to do with equal voting power at the NCAA convention. It evolved in 1978 when college football separated into Division I and Division I-AA (now FCS). The epic 1984 Board of Regents case which loosened the NCAA’s monopoly on television broadcasts loosened another chunk of money.

This meant that networks were suddenly able to pay millions for the rights to the conference. The NCAA’s old rules couldn’t keep up with the money. This is why we are currently on the verge of paying athletes to play sports.

It was inevitable. The only question was how confusing the process would be.

Sankey has been more outspoken lately, drawing criticism for his March comments suggesting the mid-majors lose their automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. Then, several SEC programs were upset by those mid-majors in the first round.

Karma, baby (just don’t expect Sankey to back down from this unpopular approach).

Part of Sankey’s credibility comes from an American dream career, rising to the top. The New York native earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York-Cortland. He began his professional career as director of intramural sports at Utica College. He was director of compliance and golf coach at Northwestern State in Louisiana. As commissioner of the Southland Conference from 1996 to 2002, Sankey saw NCAA life at the bottom of the food chain.

“I’ve been on the other end of the competitive spectrum in Division I, the other end of the financial spectrum,” he said.

“I respect and recognize the pressures and expectations on the other side of the Division I spectrum,” Sankey added. “But these must also be recognized and respected in this sense.”

When a headhunter called in 2002, Sankey said he was “naive” to think he might one day be SEC commissioner. After 13 years in Mike Slive’s inner circle, it happened. Sankey was named his replacement in 2015.

At a dinner saluting Slive, former SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer made several toasts that evening, finally stopping to recognize Sankey.

“I actually have the recording on my phone,” Sankey said. “[Roy said]’Greg will need your support as he will have to navigate uncharted waters.’

“This guy nailed it.”