The SEC had been talking about making the transfer rules even stricter for student-athletes who potentially wanted to come in from out of the conference. The original rule was instituted back in 2015 to keep out those student-athletes who had been convicted of or charged with "serious misconduct" violations.
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The league presidents met at the SEC meetings last week to try to expand the rule and make it even stricter to include "dating violence, stalking or conduct of a nature that creates serious concern about the safety of others" in the bylaw's language. The new rule also mandates that schools perform background checks on transfers that satisfy the SEC's "minimum due diligence expectations" prior to allowing the student-athlete to practice or compete.
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For now this only includes people who are transferring into one of the league's schools and not incoming freshmen. That means that Mississippi State's newest five-star defensive end in Jeffery Simmons will still be allowed to enroll in school despite all the backlash the school has already received and will receive down the road.
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SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said that the conference is making progress with this bylaw and that more could be added on down the road.
"This conference has been wrestling with the issue, and it's not easy. I hope people can appreciate that. It's not as if this is done in a sterile environment, and I think that's an important conversation. I said that last year and I've said that this year. There's a point at which the legislation concluded for this week and we'll see what the future might hold without prediction."
If Simmons screws up at all at MSU then you can pretty much count on a rule coming in for freshmen as well considering that Sankey said he was most certainly not comfortable with the Bulldogs allowing Simmons on campus.
[h/t YourHoustonNews.com]
