The commissioner of the Southeastern Conference was interviewed for a story that will air on HBO’s latest edition of Real Sports, set to debut Tuesday night. Greg Sankey has come under some fire for an answer he gave interviewer David Scott when Scott asked if Sankey believed that student athletes were safer on campus right now than in their own homes.
“So in comparison to what?” Sankey responded. “To having them workout at their homes? At home gyms that may have been their own hot spots? Working out without oversight of sports medicine specialists, without strength and conditioning coaches. That reality informed what I still think was the right decision.”
All 14 SEC schools have their football teams back on campus. The conference is yet to make any announcements about what changes it may deem necessary to the regular season.
Scott tried to get Sankey to answer how many schools reported players testing positive for Covid-19, but Sankey would only say that he “receives regular updates” from athletic staffs.
One area where he did answer some criticism was institutions asking student athletes to sign risk acknowledgement waivers. He was specifically asked about a form the University of Tennessee was asking its players to sign.
“Our programs have felt it important to make people aware of the shared responsibility we all have,” Sankey said according to the Knoxville News. “And I think providing the right kind of information is important. But as we’ve learned about those types of documents, we’ve pulled back from that perceived or real liability piece and want to make sure the focus is on education and information.”
The latest edition of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumble debuts Tuesday night at 10 pm.
