Cowbell Corner

Bulldog Roundup: SEC letter to NCAA leads to delay in rule change

Your daily briefing on what's going on with Mississippi State Athletics
Taylor Hodges|
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey walks on the field prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators at Kyle Field.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey walks on the field prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

Anyone questioning the SEC’s standing in college football’s power structure got a clear reminder Tuesday.

Just a week after the NCAA approved a rule change allowing college athletes, coaches and other athletic personnel to place legal bets on professional sports, an FBI investigation into mafia-linked gambling and game fixing led to the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.

In the wake of those arrests, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a letter to the NCAA urging a reversal of the newly approved rule.

“On behalf of our universities, I write to urge action by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to rescind this change and reaffirm the Association's commitment to maintaining strong national standards that keep collegiate participants separated from sports wagering activity at every level,” Sankey wrote. “If there are legal or practical concerns about the prior policy, those should be addressed through careful refinement — not through wholesale removal of the guardrails that have long supported the integrity of games and the well-being of those who participate.”

While Sankey’s push didn’t immediately overturn the decision, it did have an effect. On Tuesday, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted to delay implementation of the rule change until Nov. 22.

Even if the rule is eventually enacted, it still wouldn’t allow college athletes to wager on collegiate games.

“The SEC's Presidents and Chancellors believe the NCAA should restore its prior policy — or a modified policy — communicating a prohibition on gambling by student-athletes and athletics staff, regardless of the divisional level of their sport,” Sankey added. “While developing and enacting campus or conference-level policy may be considered, the NCAA's policy has long stood as an expression of our collective integrity, and its removal sends the wrong signal at a time when the gambling industry is expanding its reach and influence.”

The timing of Sankey’s statement — just days after the NBA’s gambling scandal — was no coincidence. It underscored the SEC’s stance on maintaining a firm boundary between college sports and gambling influence.

For now, Sankey got part of what he wanted: a pause. What happens after Nov. 22 remains to be seen.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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