Written by Dan Wolkins at USAToday.com
Just six months ago, longtime employees of the Southeastern Conference were picking confetti off the floor of a stadium in Arizona, smiles beaming as Alabama’s razor-thin victory in the College Football Playoff championship game had ended any narrative of the league’s decline.
After two years without a title — a sacrilege in the recent history of the SEC — the league gathers for its annual media days this week with a sense of order restored. No more questions about whether the Big Ten or Pac-12 have caught up. No more anemic bowl records to explain away.
But just as the SEC’s superiority has resurfaced, so has its history of unflattering off-field drama.
A little more than a year after former commissioner Mike Slive retired having reached his longstanding goal of a probation-free SEC, Ole Miss now faces a far-reaching infractions case that could significantly impact its surprising recent football success. Missouri has spent recent months dealing with major infractions in men’s basketball. And in April, Alabama parted ways with one of its best recruiters in defensive line coach Bo Davis due to NCAA rules violations, though it seems unlikely there will be further penalties assessed to the school.
Meanwhile, after the SEC positioned itself as a leader on domestic violence with a rule relating to transfers, Mississippi State decided to allow the enrollment of five-star recruit Jeffery Simmons, who had been videotaped pummeling a woman, instead giving him a one-game suspension.
And just last week, Tennessee settled a Federal Title IX lawsuit for $2.48 million with eight women who alleged they had been physically or sexually assaulted by athletes between 2013 and 2015.
Though commissioner Greg Sankey will likely use the bulk of his annual address Monday to tout the league’s on-field achievements and academic benchmarks, this has not been an ideal offseason for the SEC’s image.
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