HOOVER, Ala. (AP) – Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive is confident the NCAA reform he’s been pushing for years will take a big step toward becoming a reality in August.
The longtime leader of the SEC gave his annual state-of-the-conference speech at the beginning of the league’s media days on Monday and wasn’t shy about putting more pressure on the NCAA. He said college athletics “must be willing to make appropriate changes,” including giving the Big Five conferences autonomy to make their own bylaws.
“We are not deaf to the din of discontent across collegiate athletics that has dominated the news,” Slive said.
The SEC has discussed several changes to the current system, including full cost-of-attendance scholarships and providing long-term medical coverage to college athletes. The NCAA’s board of directors will vote on the Big Five’s autonomy request in August.
Slive said during the SEC’s summer meetings in June that the Big Five – which also include the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 – would consider forming a “Division IV” if they weren’t granted autonomy on some NCAA governance issues.