SEC commissioner: Medical advisory group says conference 'can continue to go forward'

As multiple college conferences announced they will postpone fall sports due to the coronavirus pandemic, the SEC is still considering whether or not it will attempt to play sports for the upcoming school year. According to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, a major factor in the conference's deliberation has been its medical advisory group, which he says has not urged the conference to cancel sports despite the pandemic.

"Our medical advisory group has said, 'Yes, we can continue to go forward,'" Sankey said on "The Dan Patrick Show" Tuesday morning. "Should that advice change, that would certainly be a stopping point."

Sankey has urged fans and colleges to have patience as the SEC figures out the best path forward for the fall. In late July, the SEC announced its plan to have a 10-game, conference-only schedule that would start on Sept. 26. However, as the coronavirus has shown no signs of slowing down, Sankey and other conference leaders have been forced to reassess the situation, and there's no guarantee that a season will happen at all. For now, sports have not been canceled, but there's a chance they may be postponed until the spring. 

The SEC is not the only conference facing this dilemma, as the Big Ten presidents are reportedly meeting Tuesday to decide the fate of the conference for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, the Mountain West Conference and the Mid-Atlantic Conference have officially announced that they will be indefinitely postponing sports due to the pandemic.