Vanderbilt Commodores

Report: SEC trying to prevent Michigan's spring-break practices

Published Feb. 9, 2016 3:25 p.m. ET

foxsports

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has been known to ruffle a few feathers when it comes to his outsized personality and attention-grabbing actions.

In regard to his latest stunt, some of those proverbial feathers have come from SEC programs.

Via a report from CBS Sports, the SEC has asked the NCAA to prohibit programs from holding spring practice during the spring-break period. As of now, there's no rule preventing such an event from happening.

Why would the SEC suddenly raise the issue?

On signing day, Harbaugh announced that Michigan would start its spring practice period in Florida from Feb. 27 to March 6. This is tentatively scheduled to take place at IMG Academy in Florida -- a program chock-full of elite Division I prospects (including the nation's top 2017 prospect in Dylan Moses).

The SEC argues that players are inundated with football-related activities for virtually the entire year. The spring-break period is just that -- a break period when the athletes can do what they choose with the free time.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey vehemently condemned the entire idea of spring-break practice.

"Our primary reaction [is] that, in the face of the time-demand conversations, we've got one program taking what has been 'free time' away," said Sankey. "Let's draw a line and say, 'That's not appropriate.'"

Surely, the opportunity to host spring practice in Florida -- in front of a plethora of college prospects -- will only help Michigan's brand visibility.

From an SEC perspective, it obviously wants to stop any momentum Michigan may garner from a competitive advantage standpoint.