LOS ANGELES -- Two recent high-profile coaching hires in the SEC have received public backlash and raised questions about the optics they present, but SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Sunday the conference played a limited role in the processes, and the hiring decisions were made at the campus level.
Auburn hired Hugh Freeze as its head coach last month, while Texas A&M hired offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino last week, two decisions that received scrutiny given both coaches' history.
Sankey said the SEC has a specific bylaw that defines whether he needs to speak with a university president about a hire, and while that occurred with Freeze, it did not rise to that level with Petrino because his behavior wasn't an NCAA violation.