Southeastern Conference (SEC) commissioner Mike Slive admitted the SEC is one of five conferences considering leaving Division I if the NCAA doesn't allow the conferences more power in determining student-athlete rules, ESPN reports.
Slive said the Power Five conferences - the SEC, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 - are considering moving to a "Division IV" if the NCAA doesn't allow them more freedom in creating their own by-laws.
Moving to a "Division IV" would give the conferences more power to dictate what their universities can offer student-athletes, such as paying for the full cost of college attendance and providing long-term medical coverage.
While Slive essentially put the ultimatum on the table for the NCAA, he hopes it doesn't come to that.
"It's not something we want to do," Slive said, via ESPN. "We want the ability to have autonomy in areas that has a nexus to the well-being of student athletes. I am somewhat optimistic it will pass, but if it doesn't, our league would certainly want to move to a Division IV. My colleges, I can't speak for anybody else, but I'd be surprised if they didn't feel the same way."
Slive acknowledged he doubts the situation will escalate to the Power Five conferences leaving Division I, but he admitted, with the growing number of lawsuits against the NCAA and the universities, the schools must make changes in regard to the treatment of their student-athletes.
University of Florida president Bernie Machen said the SEC wants to lower the number of votes needed to pass legislation, thus making it easier for schools to make rule changes.
Currently the NCAA requires a two-thirds vote of the 65 schools and 15 representatives, as well as the agreement of four out of five conferences.
"What we fear is that nothing will change because the threshold is so high," Machen said. "We're asking them to lower the threshold, which we propose is 60 percent and three conferences. With three conferences out of five and 60 percent of the 65 and 15, you can make those kinds of changes."
