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Georgia wants SEC to ban transfers with 'serious misconduct' issues
By Daniel Ledbetter
The University of Georgia is sponsoring a proposed rule that would prevent a student athlete from transferring to an SEC school if that player was previously dismissed from another team for “serious misconduct.” According to a report from the Athens Banner-Herald, this would include behaviors such as sexual assault and domestic violence.
The situation UGA is trying to avoid occurred as recently as this past March when Alabama was forced to dismiss DT Jonathan Taylor following an arrest for domestic violence. Taylor was a transfer from UGA following his dismissal from the Bulldogs for a similar issue. Georgia claims that the proposal is aimed at protecting the “integrity” of the conference as a whole.
It would not be a blanket policy, however. A school could still seek approval of a transfer from the SEC’s executive committee. This new policy would act as a sort of review process for transfers on a case by case basis. It would also require each school to monitor their players’ and recruits’ criminal activities and set forth established punishment.
The idea of making it clear to current and future SEC student athletes that instances of sexual assault and domestic violence will not be tolerated is a good one. Making SEC campuses safe for all students is a noble goal and, unfortunately, athletes have been responsible for an inordinate amount of sexual assaults on campuses. This proposal could go a long way toward curbing that, especially when it comes to football players. Knowing this type of behavior will remove you from not just your school, but the entire conference that acts a clear pipeline to the NFL could be an effective deterrent.
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