SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey Rebukes ESPN Announcers Over Officiating Criticism

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey has publicly criticized ESPN broadcasters Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer for calling out officiating during Saturday's football game between the Texas Longhorns and the Missouri Tigers. Fox News, Awful Announcing, the Irish Star, and AOL.ca all reported that Sankey described the commentators' live criticism as unacceptable. [1][3][4][5]

Fox News reported that game announcers Tessitore and Palmer repeatedly highlighted poor calls that favored Texas. At one point, Palmer stated on air that he would be furious if he were a Missouri fan. According to Yahoo Sports, Sankey defended the replay reviews during the broadcast and labeled the broadcasters as some of the worst officials in America. [1][2]

Fox News reported that Sankey's remarks drew an immediate rebuke from rules analyst Terry McAuley. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the match included a disputed forward fumble ruling on a pass by Arch Manning. The call helped spark a 21 point unanswered scoring run for the Texas Longhorns while they trailed Missouri 20-13 late in the third quarter. [1][8]

Sankey has served as the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference since 2015, following 13 years working in various roles under former commissioner Mike Slive. Prior to joining the SEC, Sankey served as the commissioner of the Southland Conference. [6]