Oklahoma AD Condemns SEC Decision to Reschedule Game
Oklahoma's athletic director criticized the SEC's decision to move the Oklahoma–Ole Miss game to Sunday, citing unfair treatment of fans and the team.
The SEC released a statement explaining that Ole Miss was unable to depart Oxford on Friday night due to the FAA ground stoppage, and that a late-night departure could not be accommodated by the charter company with which Ole Miss was contracted. As a result, the team's departure was delayed until Saturday afternoon (source ID: 1). [1]
Oklahoma officials wanted the game played on Saturday, even if that meant moving kickoff into the evening. During multiple calls with the SEC and Ole Miss on Friday night, the Sooners made their objections clear. According to Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny, it was commissioner Greg Sankey who ultimately made it clear that the decision was final (source ID: 1). [1]
Denny released a statement early Saturday morning, pointing out that Sankey told them that it was either play on Sunday or forfeit the game against Ole Miss. Denny noted that Ole Miss explored every avenue to travel to Norman and play on Saturday as planned, but they were unable to find a solution (source ID: 1). [1]
Denny expressed frustration with the SEC's decision, stating that it was not fair to the athletes, the institution, or to Sooner Nation. He emphasized that the decision must consider the impact on everyone involved, and that the team was forced to go along with the conference's decision against their will (source ID: 1). [1]
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The FAA ground stop ended on Friday night, but the scheduling controversy between Oklahoma and Ole Miss continued. After being forced to deplane due to the FAA ground stop, Ole Miss players and staff returned to the football facility, awaiting updates on their travel plans. Once the FAA lifted the ground stop, the Rebels prepared to return to the airport but faced another obstacle: their charter operator could not accommodate a Friday night departure. According to sources, flight crew duty limits were a contributing factor, leaving Ole Miss unable to complete the trip that night (1). [1]
The SEC released a statement explaining that Ole Miss was unable to depart Oxford on Friday night due to the FAA ground stoppage, and that a late-night departure could not be accommodated by the charter company with which Ole Miss was contracted. This explanation did little to ease the frustration in Norman, where Oklahoma officials wanted the game played on Saturday, even if that meant moving kickoff into the evening (1). [1]
Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny released a pointed statement early Saturday morning, noting that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey informed Oklahoma that the game would be moved to Sunday or forfeited. Denny expressed frustration with the SEC's decision, stating that it was not fair to the athletes, the institution, or to Sooner Nation. He emphasized that fans who had made travel arrangements and personal plans around a Saturday game now faced unnecessary disruption and hardship (1). [1]
The FAA ground stop ended on Friday night, but the scheduling controversy between Oklahoma and Ole Miss continued. The SEC released a statement explaining that Ole Miss was unable to depart Oxford on Friday night due to the FAA ground stoppage, and that a late-night departure could not be accommodated by the charter company with which Ole Miss was contracted (1). [1]
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Oklahoma officials wanted the game played on Saturday, even if that meant moving kickoff into the evening. During multiple calls with the SEC and Ole Miss on Friday night, the Sooners made their objections clear. According to Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny, it was commissioner Greg Sankey who ultimately made it clear that the decision was final (1). [1]
Denny released a very pointed statement early Saturday morning, pointing out that Sankey told them that it was either play on Sunday or forfeit the game against Ole Miss. Denny expressed frustration with the SEC's decision, stating that it was not fair to the athletes, the institution, or to Sooner Nation (1). [1]
The FAA ground stop ended on Friday night, but the scheduling controversy between Oklahoma and Ole Miss continued. The SEC released a statement explaining that Ole Miss was unable to depart Oxford on Friday night due to the FAA ground stoppage, and that a late-night departure could not be accommodated by the charter company with which Ole Miss was contracted (1). Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny released a pointed statement early Saturday morning, noting that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey informed Oklahoma that the game would be moved to Sunday or forfeited (1). [1]
Oklahoma officials wanted the game played on Saturday, even if that meant moving kickoff into the evening. Denny released a very pointed statement early Saturday morning, pointing out that Sankey told them that it was either play on Sunday or forfeit the game against Ole Miss (1). The SEC's explanation did not alleviate Oklahoma's frustration, as the Sooners emphasized that Ole Miss had explored all options to travel to Norman and play on Saturday as planned (1). [1]
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Denny expressed frustration with the SEC's decision, stating that it was not fair to the athletes, the institution, or to Sooner Nation (1). He emphasized that the rescheduling of the game would cause significant disruption to Oklahoma fans who had made travel arrangements, accommodations, and personal plans around a Saturday game (1). The Oklahoma football program felt that the decision made by the SEC did not consider the impact on all involved parties (1). [1]
Sources
Prepared with AI assistance from the cited sources.
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