Count the SEC as the next coronavirus-related Power Five football shoe to drop.
In late April, the MWC announced that the conference will hold its Football Media Days virtually instead of in-person. A day later, the MAC announced that its Football Media Days will be virtual as well. Then, May 4, the AAC confirmed it will be doing the same. The next day, it was ditto for Conference USA.
May 6, the Big 12 became the first Power Five to go virtual for Media Days. The Pac-12 quickly followed suit. May 22, the Big Ten did the inevitable as well.
In a release Wednesday, the SEC announced it has canceled its in-person Football Media Days. The annual gathering, the biggest one of any conference, had been scheduled for July 13-16 in Atlanta. Part of the proceedings would’ve been held at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Instead, the conference will hold its first-ever virtual version of media days.
“Conducting football media days in a virtual format will provide us the opportunity to manage the event in a healthy manner as we continue to be impacted by COVID-19, and will provide flexibility for our programs to adjust their preparation for the 2020 football season according to the preseason calendar that is expected to be expanded due to the cancellation of the spring football season,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey in a statement. “We look forward to returning to our traditional media days format in 2021.”
The SEC’s decision leaves the ACC as the only Power Five conference to not officially cancel its in-person event. Yet.
The ACC’s media days is scheduled for July 22-23 in Charlotte. Expected an announcement, one way or the other, in the next week or so.