re: Greg Sankey releases statement following meeting with SEC athletic directors

quote:

---

"We have to see a change in public health trend to build the comfort that we'll have an opportunity to compete this fall," Sankey told ESPN's Paul Finebaum on Monday evening.

---

quote:

---

The SEC has members in 11 states, and seven have 40,001 or more COVID-19 cases this year, the highest category in the CDC's database. The increase of cases in the region in the past few weeks is "not a positive factor," Sankey told Finebaum, though he said the league will analyze similar data before it reaches a final decision on the season.

---

quote:

---

"I'm done with predictions; I'm done with models," Sankey said. "We're going to look at facts, and that's what we've been doing diligently for months now and will do over the next few weeks."

---

quote:

---

"Things are going to have to improve and get better, but we have time," LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said. "This thing has had trends go up and down, and hopefully they'll go down and people will take what's going on seriously. Because if not, it's going to be difficult for us to safely play these games."

---

quote:

---

Woodward said "I'm still planning like I'm playing opening weekend," a sentiment that he said was shared by most of the athletic directors who attended Monday's meeting. If teams can play, they'll play, Woodward said, but they'll have to "listen to the health experts and go forth from there."

---