Amid reports that the Big Ten would cancel its 2020 football season and dire predictions that all football would be canceled this fall, the SEC commissioner doesn't seem ready to give up just yet.
Greg Sankey posted a message on Twitter Monday that seems both cautious and optimistic.
"We have never had a FB season in a COVID-19 environment. Can we play? I don’t know. We haven’t stopped trying," he wrote.
The SEC announced earlier this month the intention for each team to play ten conference games this season. The two additional SEC opponents for each team were announced on Friday.
If the season goes forward, Tennessee will play its six regular SEC East opponents, plus Alabama, Arkansas, and new opponents Auburn and Texas A&M.
In his tweets, Sankey seemed to indicate that the SEC wasn't ready to make a decision about canceling football this fall.
"Best advice I’ve received since COVID-19: 'Be patient. Take time when making decisions. This is all new & you’ll gain better information each day,'" he wrote.
Sankey emphasized that the SEC has been deliberate at each step of the way, slowing the return to practice and delaying the first game of the season by three weeks, to Sept. 26. They have also developed testing protocols.
"We know concerns remain," he wrote.
"We support, educate and care for student-athletes every day, and will continue to do so...every day," Sankey said.
The SEC is set to release the revised 2020 schedule sometime this week.