Stop me if you've heard this one before, but the SEC is taking issue with a decision made by a Big Ten coach during the off season.
Last week, Jim Harbaugh made the rumors official by using their celebrity studded signing day event as a platform to announce that the Wolverines will be taking off during their spring break to hold a total of four spring practices down in Florida. That timing ensures that no finals / exams would be missed, and it also allows the Wolverines to mix in some fun in the sun with the spring practices.
The SECs issue with that?
“Our primary reaction is that, in the face of the time-demand conversations, we've got one program taking what has been 'free time' away. Let's draw a line and say, ‘That's not appropriate.'" SEC commissioner Greg Sankey explained in a CBS column.
Sankey's argument is that spring break should be sacred time for the student athletes to have off of both school, and football.
Sankey brings up a valid point, and I don't think the argument is a stretch, but it seems like every time Big Ten coaches come up with a creative way to circumvent some NCAA rules and head down south for one thing or another, someone (or a few people) from the SEC comes forward with a problem with it. Is it really that time off is the issue at hand here, or is it that Michigan will be holding practices in fertile SEC recruiting territory?
“We've not been evangelistic -- if you will -- about practice locations that are reasonable. Part of that conversation was that campuses could make these decisions in an appropriate manner without need for national legislation.” Sankey added.
I can't help but wonder if the SEC would have the same issue if Harbuagh wanted to take his guys to Southern California (or even Texas) instead? Or what if Oregon wanted to head to the Samoan Islands? Those are interesting questions to ponder...
In closing, I think I'll just leave this popular thought here.