Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey wasn’t the only one trying to replace a legend, when SEC Commissioner Mike Slive retired last week.
William King is also trying to replace one, and his name is Mike Slive, too.
Besides commissioner, Slive also served as the conference’s de facto chief legal officer. In fact, he is widely regarded as one of the top lawyers in the sports industry.
When Slive announced his exit in 2014, the conference began a search for someone to handle his legal duties and found King, a partner in the Birmingham office and Lightfoot, Franklin & White.
King, who has very capably represented colleges and universities with their NCAA compliance issues, told Sports Litigation Alert that he doesn’t feel any pressure in his new role as Associate Commissioner for Legal Affairs and Compliance.
“Commissioner Slive always joked that he was a recovering lawyer,” King told Sports Litigation Alert. “My position as internal legal counsel is a new one for the SEC, so I don’t view it as trying to fill the Commissioner’s shoes in that role.”
King, 51, will head the conference’s existing governance and compliance staff, serve as an adviser for institutions on NCAA regulatory matters, maintain and improve upon conference-wide efforts to fulfill SEC and NCAA compliance expectations, provide advice and counsel to the commissioner and serve as the league’s inaugural internal legal counsel.
Sankey called him “a national leader on NCAA enforcement and compliance matters, (who) has unique experience in working with universities, coaches and student-athletes on infractions and eligibility cases.” In fact, King has represented universities from the Southeastern, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Conference USA, American Athletic, Big West and Big South Conferences.
Sankey and King “have worked closely together in the past,” according to King, who added that that will help make for a seamless transition. In addition, “because of the gap between my hiring and start date, we’ve had some time to think about those issues and have a good plan.”
King received his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee in 1986 and earned his law degree in 1989 from Vanderbilt. In Nashville, he studied under Vanderbilt Chancellor Nick Zeppos.
“William is an outstanding addition to the SEC in a critical area for our conference office,” said Zeppos, who also serves as the current president of the SEC Presidents and Chancellors.
“William’s level of expertise and experience in NCAA matters as well as his uncompromising integrity make him the ideal person to serve our membership in this capacity.”
