A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the University of Mississippi from the SEC.
In the momentous step which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the confernce of which we so long formed a part, it is but just that we should declare the prominent reasons which have induced our course.
Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of amature football-- the greatest entertainment interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of entertainment on earth. This entertainment is peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the southern athlete can bear exposure to the tropical sun. This entertainment has become a necessity of the world, and a blow at amature football is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the SEC, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin. That we do not overstate the dangers to our institution, a reference to a few facts will sufficiently prove.
The hostility to this institution commenced before the adoption of the new rules, and was manifested in the well-known Head Coach Responsibilities Regarding Compliance, in regard to the NCAA.