COVID-19 cancels spring SEC meetings

Among many other competitions and sporting events, COVID-19 forced the SEC to cancel Spring Meetings.

Alternative plans

The SEC hosts an annual four-day conference every year in Destin, Florida, in the last week of May. Coaches from all sports, presidents and athletic directors are those who attend the conference. They discuss rule changes, finances within the conference and recognize award winners.

The conference has been held in Destin since 1985 and was set to be hosted by Hilton Sandestin Resort this year.

“The SEC Spring Meetings represent one of our Conference’s great traditions and provide an opportunity to celebrate the past year, plan for the future and focus on our mission to serve people through our universities,” said commissioner Greg Sankey. “We regret this year’s event will not be held as planned, but we know cancellation is appropriate in the light of supporting safety and well-being during this unprecedented public health crisis.”

The conference is currently exploring other alternatives to hold the meetings.

An update on whether or not SEC Media Days will continue has not been released. As a result, SEC Media Days remain scheduled for July 13-16 in Atlanta.

The 2020 @SEC Spring Meetings have been cancelled. The SEC will determine alternate methods for holding meetings important to conference operations and explore opportunities to recognize award winners who are honored at the event. https://t.co/DYz2JFTQXh

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) March 31, 2020

Other cancelations and postponements

Every SEC spring sporting events, including spring football games and pro-days, were canceled March 17. The American Athletic Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 released similar statements prior to the SEC.

COVID-19 also led to the cancelation of the NCAA basketball tournament and College World Series. The NHL and NBA seasons were put on hold indefinitely and the MLB postponed the start of its season.

Also, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo were recently postponed to 2021.

In light of the spring season being canceled, the NCAA voted on extending eligibility for those spring athletes on Monday. Adjustments were made to financial rules and roster limits for baseball and softball were increased.

Fall athletes did not receive an extra year of eligibility since they were able to play their full season.