HOOVER, Ala. — Speaking at his first Southeastern Conference Media Days as commissioner of the conference, Greg Sankey had one phrase that he constantly repeated: "The Times They Are a-Changing."
The Bob Dylan song made famous during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s was the calling card for Sankey when speaking about the changes the SEC has made recently.
"It is absolutely true that the times are changing rapidly all around us," Sankey said.
"In 2010, we experienced the first tremors of conference realignment, which largely left the SEC untouched, but in 2011 we welcomed and announced Texas A&M and Missouri as the SEC’s 13th and 14th members, welcoming them as full members in (2012)."
Sankey took over as SEC commissioner on June 1, two months before previously planned. Former commissioner Mike Slive had served as commissioner for just shy of 13 years, overseeing numerous transitions and changes throughout his era.
Now, it's Sankey's turn.
He touched base on the first year of the SEC Network and how the conference’s goal was to live stream 1,000 events.
The network exceeded those expectations, streaming over 1,500 events in its first year.
But Sankey highlighted one issue that has been at the forefront of the nation over the last couple of weeks: the confederate flag.
Sankey praised what happened in South Carolina on Friday when the state government decided to remove the flag from the state capitol grounds.
The commissioner also pointed out several university presidents who went along with the decision.
"I am particularly proud of the leadership demonstrated on our campuses in the states at the center of this debate," Sankey said.
"South Carolina president Harris Pastides, University of Mississippi interim chancellor Morris Stocks and Mississippi State University’s, along with their athletic directors and coaches, have all stated their desire for change."
Along with speaking about the changes the conference has made, Sankey added that within the five months he was chosen to succeed former commissioner Mike Slive, he made a list of what the players of the SEC need to be: scholars, champions and leaders.
Three words defining how Sankey expects SEC athletes to carry themselves during his tenure as commissioner.
"For the words scholars, we want to graduate every student-athlete," Sankey said. "For champions, we want to win every championship. And for leaders, we seek to literally influence the world.
"There is no great achievement that was ever produced by an attempt to be average, and we seek to be excellent."
Sankey said that coaches need to be more involved during the offseason to reduce the amount of players that are getting in trouble with the law.
He said the issues are alarming and deserving of a conversation in the near future.
"The idea behind a working group is to foster a conversation about how we might encounter the concern on conduct in a more global way," Sankey said. "There’s a balance between the time demands placed on young people and the free time that can create problems … I think that’s part of why it’s healthy for us to have the exact conversation I anticipate occurring over the next 12 to 24 months."
Sankey closed out his opening remarks by showing a video of the "Beyond the Field: Stories of the SEC."
He mentioned that even though he is one of the faces of the conference, he himself isn’t what makes the SEC.
"I’m the commissioner of the SEC, but they (the players) are the SEC," Sankey said.
"The times are changing. It is because of these stories and more that convince me the best days of the Southeastern Conference are still ahead."
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks during the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days, Monday, July 13, 2015, in Hoover, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
