Sankey defends SEC officials after Missouri replay request

01 · The NewsSankey Defends SEC Officials

On Monday, Nov. 9, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey defended the league’s officials and said it would work toward greater replay transparency after Missouri asked for live booth audio or video following its reported 34-20 loss to Texas.

Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch made the request in an open letter after several disputed rulings in the game. Sankey said the SEC has not rejected access to replay-room audio.

“There’s a debate now about why aren't we allowing access to audio in our replay room? We have never said no. We've just said, ‘You have to make sure you do it right,’” Sankey said on the SEC Network’s “Paul Finebaum Show.”

Sankey said the SEC’s replay center uses several voices working through a play rather than one person handling a single monitor. The conference can have as many as seven games taking place on a Saturday, making live access a redesign of a shared operation rather than the flip of one microphone.

Sankey also criticized television analysts who question SEC officiating.

“I am highly disappointed in announcers and their criticism and they're wrong. Some of the worst officials in America are those in the (announcer's) booth. We have officiating experts who I turned on a game on Saturday who were just flat wrong. And what that creates is this narrative that we've done something wrong and that is unacceptable to me, and we have to address that,” Sankey said.

The dispute follows other SEC officiating controversies. The Week 6 Georgia-Alabama finish drew criticism over several no-calls and the reversal of an Alabama interception. During the Week 10 Georgia-Ole Miss game, fans threw trash onto the field after penalties went against the Rebels, delaying the game by roughly five minutes and prompting a $250,000 SEC fine for Ole Miss.

Sankey said the league would accept scrutiny as it considers how much of its replay process to expose.

“We'll take the responsibility, we'll take the heat, we'll work to continually improve. We'll work on how do we provide more transparency and access to our replay system. We'll do that collectively so that we have the best in-class model,” Sankey said.

02 · The StakesWhy It Matters

The decision could determine whether fans, teams and broadcasters eventually hear how controversial calls are discussed in real time. It also puts the SEC’s credibility on game-changing reviews under a brighter light; and the conference has not set a timetable or committed to live access.

03 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching