MIRAMAR BEACH, FL. – Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was asked about the frustrations previously expressed by his school’s president about the NCAA.
With the NCAA-backed SCORE Act failing to advance in Congress last week, conference leaders are increasingly discussing the possibility of creating their own governance model. Georgia President Jere Morehead recently said he believes time is running out to restore order and indicated he is prepared to support an SEC-led enforcement system if federal lawmakers fail to act. Morehead, who previously voiced support for conference-specific rules in January, reportedly said the SEC may have no choice but to establish its own regulations during the revenue-sharing era. He added that if legislation from Sens. Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz does not materialize soon, the conference could move forward independently because “we can’t allow the Wild West to continue any longer.”
Here was Smart’s response:
“I’ve said this for a long time to our President,” Smart said. “I’ve been a huge advocate that if you can’t find rules that everybody plays by, then we should play our own. I’m not afraid of that. I’m not afraid to break away and say that our conference is strong enough to go out and have and play. I mean, if we could actually function and financially it would make our programs more stable and we could support things financially, I’m talking about all the sports, and do by our own rules, I’d be all for that.
“I’ve been to this meeting now 10, 11 times, and it’s frustrating at times to say, ‘Well, we can’t do this because of litigation. We can’t do this because of litigation. We can’t do this because we get sued. We can’t do that.’ And we’re just trying to do things for the betterment of the sport and the betterment of student-athletes. And that’s not curtailing what money they make. I’m not advocating that they make less money. I’m fine with what student-athletes make. I’m trying to make it where it’s as equal and it’s comparable footing for everybody. It’s not a race to the bottom, as they say.”
