The Big Ten and Southeastern conferences announced Friday that they’re working together and forming a joint advisory group “to address the significant challenges facing college athletics and the opportunities for betterment of the student- athlete experience.”
According to a release, the two conferences are compelled “to take a leadership role in developing solutions for a sustainable future of college sports,” and they’ll address “recent court decisions, pending litigation, a patchwork of state laws, and complex governance proposals” among other topics.
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“The Big Ten and the SEC have substantial investment in the NCAA and there is no question that the voices of our two conferences are integral to governance and other reform efforts,” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti stated in a release. “We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face.”
Both the Big Ten and SEC are expending to upwards of 18 and 16 teams, respectively, beginning this summer.
The joint advisory group “will have no authority to act independently and will only serve as a consulting body,” according to a release.
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The timetable and composition of the joint advisory group are yet to be determined.
“There are similar cultural and social impacts on our student-athletes, our institutions, and our communities because of the new collegiate athletics environment,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated in a release. “We do not have predetermined answers to the myriad questions facing us. We do not expect to agree on everything but enhancing interaction between our conferences will help to focus efforts on common sense solutions.”
