Greg Sankey talks officiating transparency at SEC Media Days
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Auburn football was on the wrong end of several questionable officiating calls last season, one in Oklahoma involving a wide receiver using deception to score a touchdown, as well as the forced fumble at the goal line and the infamous clapping incident involving Georgia head coach Kirby Smart during the most recent edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The SEC released a statement following the Auburn-Oklahoma game, citing that the officiating crew should have penalized Oklahoma for using deception when Sooners’ wide receiver Isaiah Sategna appeared to leave the field, but remained on the field before the snap. Long-time SEC official Ken Williamson also received a suspension from the SEC following his crew’s unsatisfactory performance in Auburn’s loss to Georgia.
Still, fans and coaches want to know how transparent the SEC is with how each official is evaluated after every game, and how accountable each official is for the calls they make (or don’t make). SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was asked about the process during his time at the podium at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida.
Sankey says that transparency with SEC officials comes with limits.
“There are limits to transparency,” Sankey said. “When an error is made in a game, scholarships are not pulled for a player for one incident, they don’t lose their starting job. So every week we provide feedback to officials. We don’t publish that. I also have a great deal of respect for people that are willing to put themselves in the venues of the Southeastern Conference to conduct that activity. I think we have found a reasonable balance. Reasonable people can disagree with that. The elements that we’ve added and the steps we’ve taken to try to get it right are evidence of our motivation and our willingness, quite candidly, to be transparent.”
One of those steps the SEC is taking to “get it right” is allowing coaches to submit questionable plays for review. However, to the dismay of SEC sports fans, Sankey plans to keep those findings confidential.
“Our coaches have the opportunity to submit plays for review. That information is evaluated and communicated back to our campuses,” Sankey said. “The expectation is that information, the back and forth, be communicated in a confidential manner. So that is not transparent. I’m being transparent about that, by the way. That’s the deal.”
Officiating and the addition of a ninth conference game were major topics Sankey discussed on Monday to open SEC Media Days. Auburn football will take the stage Tuesday at 9 a.m. CT, where Alex Golesh and several Tigers will field questions from the media ahead of the 2026 season.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Greg Sankey talks officiating transparency at SEC Media Days
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