Slive: Save for UA, SEC almost probation free

HOOVER, Ala. — Six years into the job, SEC commissioner Mike Slive is happy to say that the SEC is probation free — almost.

With Mississippi State’s football program off probation this past year after the long-ago departure of coach Jackie Sherrill, the SEC’s biggest probationary black eye was removed.

But there’s still some chinks in the SEC’s armor. The Arkansas track program is the only SEC insitution to be under probation. The UA was placed on a three-year probation and was forced to remove two titles in October when it was revealed that former Arkansas assistant Lance Brauman provided housing, tutoring and transportation in the summer of 2003 to Tyson Gay, who had yet to enroll at the UA.

“This disappointment, however, is tempered,” Slive says.

Slive later explained to the media throng, “As I have said to many of you in many of our conversations over the past year, the most satisfying accomplishment in my six years as commissioner is that we have tackled the infraction problems head on, while at the same time arguably enjoying the most sustained competitive athletic success in the history of this conference,” the commish said.
“And as we look ahead, and of course if we believe that history teaches, we can anticipate one or more of our institutions making a mistake. And that will happen. But what’s different is how our institutions handle these matters: with honesty and with integrity. And that’s what we do now.”

– Brandon Marcello

Filed under: Other U of A Sports, SEC Football, Arkansas Football by Brandon Marcello. Posted on: July 23, 2008 at 12:11 pm