PRESS PICKS (Week 10): NCAA idiots are saved by Sankey and SEC before enacting new gambling bylaws
STAFF REPORT
The NCAA has received plenty of criticism over the years, too much to mention.
This week, one of the most boneheaded decisions was about to come to fruition until Greg Sankey and the Southeastern Conference implored for the NCAA to rethink the idea of allowing athletes to bet on professional sports.
The committee that had studied the idea decided it was in the best interest to allow gambling based on “peer pressure.”
The quote from committee chairman Josh Whitman stated, “The Administrative Committee was clear in its discussion today that it remains concerned about the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling but ultimately voted to reduce restrictions on student-athletes in this area to better align with their campus peers.”
By Wednesday, the SEC had sent a letter asking the committee to rescind the decision, saying it was “a major step in the wrong direction.”
Apparently, there were others who agreed with Sankey and the league. Due to voting rules, if a policy does not have “supermajority” or 75 percent are in agreement, the board must delay the implementation of the new regulation.
The question is - who in their right mind thought this was a good idea? Has anyone in Indianapolis been reading the headlines lately? You don’t have to go that far back to see what is happening with gambling, organized crime and, in this case, the NBA.
When the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, stands in front of the media and states that the problem of betting among those involved has reached epic proportions, somebody at the NCAA should have stood up and said, “hold on. This is not the time to do this.”
Instead, the NCAA once again gave itself a black eye. There have been times when this association has been put in a difficult situation but this time they did it to themselves.
Gambling is a massive problem among young adults aged 18-22. Studies have indicated that college students (not just athletes) gamble at a rate of nearly 60 percent. Two-thirds are male and 68 percent of those are African American.
It sounds like betting is already a problem among athletes, who now have means to bet all the time with the entry of the NIL and the money it provides.
The better idea for the NCAA is to figure out a way to get athletes to abstain from gambling. And if they have a problem, get them help, not throw them a bone to encourage participation (which is what this ruling would do).
It is a wonder how many of the gambling experts were left out of this decision. There were plenty of quotes on the NCAA website stating, basically, if gambling is done the “correct way,” it should be alright.
There is no circumstances where it is “alright” and should continue to be banned.
This will be a good indicator of how much power Sankey and the SEC has among the NCAA. If they win this battle, it will say a lot.
If they lose, it may generate a quicker exit by the league from the association, a move that would not be a gamble.
2025 Standings (Last week)
1. Michael Butler 112-38 (9-6).747
2. Graham Dunn 110-40 (11-4) .733
3. Tim Gayle 105-45 (10-5) .700
4. Barry McKnight 103-47 (11-4) .686
Wesley Lyle 103-47 (11-4) .686
5. Doug Amos 102-48 (11-4) .680
6. Mike Peacock 101-49 (11-4) .673
8. Rick Hendrick 101-49 (12-3) .673
9. Rosie Langello 96-54 (9-6) .640
10. Lindsey Bonner 95-55 (11-4) .633
Michael Butler (WTLS 101.1&94.7 FM/1300 AM/Tallassee Times)
112-38 (9-6).747
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Wetumpka
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Miss St
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Texas
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - USC
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St
Graham Dunn (River Region Sports/WTLS/Voice of Alabama State Hornets)
110-40 (11-4) .733
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Wetumpka
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Miss St
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Texas
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - Nebraska
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St
Tim Gayle (River Region Sports/Montgomery Independent)
105-45 (10-5) .700
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Wetumpka
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Miss St
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Texas
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - USC
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St
Wesley Lyle (River Region Sports)
103-47 (11-4) .686
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Wetumpka
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Arkansas
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Texas
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - USC
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St
Barry McKnight (Voice of Troy Trojans)
103-47 (11-4) .686
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Wetumpka
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Florida
Miss St at Arkansas - Miss St
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Vanderbilt
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - USC
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St
Doug Amos (ESPN The Ticket)
102-48 (11-4) .680
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Wetumpka
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Arkansas
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Texas
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - Nebraska
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St
Mike Peacock (River Region Sports/ASU Hornets Radio analyst )
101-49 (11-4) .673
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Wetumpka
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Arkansas
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Vanderbilt
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - USC
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Arizona St
Rick Hendrick (WXFS 95.1 The Fox/PA Montgomery Biscuits)
101-49 (12-3) .673
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Wetumpka
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Miss St
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Oklahoma
Vanderbilt at Texas - Vanderbilt
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - USC
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St
Rosie Langello (Sports Director - WSFA Ch. 12)
96-54 (9-6) .640
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Demopolis
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Auburn
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Miss St
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Texas
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - USC
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St
Lindsey Bonner (Sports Director - WAKA Ch. 8)
95-55 (11-4) .633
Pike Road at Charles Henderson - Pike Road
Calera at Stanhope Elmore - Stanhope Elmore
Demopolis at Wetumpka - Demopolis
Tallassee at Holtville - Tallassee
Catholic at Vestavia Hills - Vestavia Hills
Kentucky at Auburn - Kentucky
Georgia vs. Florida (J’Ville) - Georgia
Miss St at Arkansas - Miss St
South Carolina at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee - Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Texas - Vanderbilt
Penn St at Ohio St - Ohio St
USC at Nebraska - USC
Miami at SMU - Miami
Arizona St at Iowa St - Iowa St