🏈 SEC commissioner pushing for NCAA changes

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SEC commissioner Mike Silve’s main goal each day is build the future strength of the conference.

He’s in the middle of a push for the five power conferences to gain governing autonomy within the NCAA structure by the fall.

Major changes could be in store for the 65 schools in the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast conferences if approved by the NCAA Board of Directors later this week.

Slive was a special guest speaker at the Associated Press Sports Editors regional meeting on Monday at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

He outlined the goal of the Big Five to improve the lives of the athletes to ensure full cost scholarship, health, nutrition, a better chance for a degree, improve rules for support from agents and advisers, and give athletes a voice and vote on rules that govern them.

He shared where he feels the SEC is headed in this regard. The following comes from a question and answer session with the media.

What is the proposal about with the NCAA?
“Five conferences have put together a proposal to create autonomy in certain areas. The nexus for the autonomy, it’s what we call ‘The Vision for the 21st Century’ with our relationship with the student-athlete. Up until now, it’s been the level playing field in NCAA. It puts the institution in primacy. If you replace that with the student-athlete, you do things in the best interest of student-athlete instead of institution. That’s a difficult issue, and I understand that. As we move forward, the five conferences have the ability to put he student athlete first.”

Does that follow the player unionization movement?
“Student-athletes shouldn’t be employees. If you put that aside, what’s being asked for (by union backers) are the same things the five of us put forward last fall. What’s the substance of the issue, not the nature. What we are trying to accomplish are these issues.”

When did this start?
“We are on this road since early fall when the five conferences outlined the future. The goal for the NCAA to have something done is have something done by August and be able to do something after August.”

Should an athlete make money?
“What I outlined relates to the mission of the institutions. It’s in the context of higher education. Outside of that, it’s more problematic. I haven’t focused on that.”

Is this too little, too late?
“I don’t think it’s too little. There’s an element of frustration that we started last summer. Turning the NCAA is not unlike turning an aircraft carrier from north to south. There are some of the things we wanted to get on the table much earlier.”

Is this reaction to what’s going on at Northwestern?
“I’ve listened to the Big Ten talk. I don’t know about labor law. It’s limited in scope in football players, Northwestern and private institutions. What’s of interest are the issues we are trying to get our arms around.”

Is it difficult to get the Big Five to agree?
“We are pleased — all five conferences — we’ve come this far in the NCAA structural procedures. There are some structural matters we have to work our way through. Part of that is we have to create our own legislative process. Then each conference must develop legislation in that structure. Although we are pleased where we are, there are a couple of elements we would like to take a look at and get a structure we want. We want a structure that involves all 65 institutions. We have ideas how we should do that. That’s a topic of conversation as we move forward.”

Are you concerned about the view of the Big Five for doing this?
“If you are putting student-athletes first then you are doing the right thing. They would have a voice and vote in legislation for all, anything and everything.”

What’s the difference between the Big Five and others?
“The enforcement process that impacts our 65 institutions than other institutions. Timing is another one. If we have the right issues with other institutions.”

Can other conferences join the Big Five?
“That hasn’t been talked about.”

How certain is this to pass?
“The reports are encouraging. I’m optimistic it will get out for comment. The adoption will come in August.”

What’s the biggest concern for you?
“The future. For me, there’s no such thing as today. When I wake up in the morning, it’s about tomorrow. What can I do tangibly or intangibly do to ensure vibrance of the SEC. That’s five years, 10 years from now. We’ve done a lot of things right. We’ve changed the culture in rules, we’ve expanded, we added a network. What’s next tangibly? If not tangible, what can we do intangibly?” “The reports are encouraging. I’m optimistic it will get out for comment. The adoption will come in August.”

What’s the biggest concern for you?
“The future. For me, there’s no such thing as today. When I wake up in the morning, it’s about tomorrow. What can I do tangibly or intangibly do to ensure vibrance of the SEC. That’s five years, 10 years from now. We’ve done a lot of things right. We’ve changed the culture in rules, we’ve expanded, we added a network. What’s next tangibly? If not tangible, what can we do intangibly?”