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Spring Meetings conclude in Destin

The Southeastern Conference Spring Meetings wrapped up Friday in Destin, concluding in traditional fashion with commissioner Mike Slive announcing the major news and decisions to come out of the meetings. ITG wraps up four days four days of discussions between the presidents, athletic directors and coaches of the SEC.
- Friday's biggest announcement was the record amount of money that will be distributed amongst the conference's 14 schools this year. A total of roughly $309.6 million will be distributed with $16.8 million of that coming from schools that participated in bowl games.
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The money comes from televised football, bowl games, the SEC Championship Game for football, televised basketball, the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, NCAA Championships and a supplemental surplus distribution. The money figures out to a little more than $20.9 million per school.
Last year, the SEC split $304.7 million amongst its schools. (SECdigitalnetwork.com)
- This past spring, Florida has brought in two post-graduate transfers - one each in football and basketball - who will be able to play for the Gators this coming fall. SEC rules required both to go through extensive waiver processes to be deemed eligible for transfer.
Going forward, that process will be sped up as the SEC modified its bylaws and created an automatic waiver process for graduate student-athletes with less than two years of eligibility remaining looking to transfer to an SEC program. (SECdigitalnetwork.com)
- Over the course of the meetings, the SEC decided to change the current format of its men's basketball schedule. Where SEC teams had previously had just one permanent opponent - against which it plays an annual home and away game - there are now three. Nothing is official in terms of partnerships, but UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said Friday he is looking to make Tennessee and Georgia the permanent opponents for the Gators.
Kentucky, already a permanent opponent, would remain in the same situation. (Mark Long, Associated Press).
- School presidents used the latter part of the week to heavily discuss autonomy. The NCAA's Big Five conferences in college football are looking to pass legislation that would give more power to the sport's power conferences. The SEC announced it would like to see the voting threshold changed to 60 percent for legislation issues, with three of five power conferences having to approve legislation for it to be passed.
Slive said he does not expect autonomy to not pass when it is voted upon by the NCAA, but he did add that if it does not pass for some reason, the power conferences would likely have to move to a fourth division within the NCAA. (James Crepea, Montgomery Advertiser)
- Artificial noisemakers will now be permitted in SEC stadiums and are allowed to be used at all times except when the center is over the ball. The rule factors mainly toward Mississippi State, which has dealt with numerous fines over the years for its use of cowbells by fans at its stadium.
The rule also applies to PA music. (Crepea, Montgomery Advertiser)
- The SEC will experiment with a 30-second shot clock in exhibition basketball games. (Long, Associated Press)
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