This is the SEC, where Mississippi State proves cowbells don't ring for angels

Mississippi State announced Thursday that it will allow five-star signee Jeffery Simmons to enroll despite there being video of him striking a woman

DESTIN, Fla. -- This is the SEC, where a player can enroll two months after repeatedly hitting a woman on the ground in a parking lot for the world to see on video.

This time, his name is Jeffery Simmons, a five-star Mississippi State defensive line signee who presumably will eventually sack the quarterback to the delight of cowbells. But you could fill in a blank of where Simmons' name goes, because it could have been some other school's star player.

You see, in the SEC, there's actual progress being made by commissioner Greg Sankey to prevent transfers -- but not incoming recruits, for various legal and fairness reasons -- from entering the conference if they had previous serious misconduct problems. Privately, there are good, decent people at SEC schools who are outraged by Mississippi State's announcement on Thursday that it will allow Simmons to enroll. "Disappointed" was the most common word used by some officials at SEC schools who didn't want to be identified.

Still, this is major college football. And this is the SEC.

This is where there is mind-numbing discussion by Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin that Simmons' actions are not sexual violence, as defined by law, and probably wouldn't have fallen under the SEC transfer ban because Simmons received two misdemeanors (not a felony) and the act wasn't domestic violence. SEC schools excel at threading the needle when needed.

This is where where one, two, three, four, five punches by Simmons -- at least -- can be described by Stricklin as "five seconds of a bad decision" and the need to be "fair" to a young man. Never mind that someone can actually be murdered or seriously maimed in five seconds.

"I have a surface understanding [of Simmons' past], and I don't think Jeffery will have any issues," Stricklin said. "But I want someone who's a professional and trained in this area to tell me that also."

This is the SEC, where punching a woman warrants a one game-suspension for Simmons before Mississippi State has even had professional counselors evaluate him. Common sense tells you the type of brutal reaction Simmons showed against a woman, even if he was defending his family as Mississippi State stated, typically doesn't just happen once.

"I think [the suspension is] mainly to send a message that there is a consequence," Stricklin said. "Now we may get feedback when he goes through this evaluation that makes us adjust that."

This is the SEC, where wailing away at a woman on the ground gets the same punishment as a targeting penalty handed out at football games, as Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples angrily mentioned to Stricklin. "That's an interesting way of putting it," Stricklin said. "That's not how we compared it."

Because really, what SEC player doesn't learn consequences by sitting out a game against South Alabama? Mississippi State managed to make Oklahoma look downright harsh by suspending Joe Mixon for an entire season because he hit a woman.

This is the SEC, where coach Dan Mullen can dodge questions earlier this week about why he's taking the risk of accepting Simmons onto campus. That left Stricklin to take the bullets while meeting with the media. Stricklin said he spoke with the president's office, the dean of students and the Title IX coordinator and "athletics had nothing to do with the enrollment process," only in whether he would participate with the football team.

Mississippi State will be the subject of increased scrutiny going forward. USATSI

Was any female Mississippi State official who saw the video leery of bringing Simmons onto campus?

"I talked to several women," Stricklin said. "I don't know if I talked to anyone who fit the description you said. This was a parking lot fight that got out of control, which is why he's not being charged with domestic violence or sexual assault. That doesn't make it OK. But it makes it a unique situation, a unique case."

This is the SEC, where Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, the ascending president of the SEC, can try to place the risk of accepting Simmons squarely on the shoulders of Stricklin. Ken Starr who?

Why did Mississippi State decide to bring Simmons into school?

"I completely trust Scott Stricklin and the decision he made on this matter, and I think you've seen his statement, and I think it speaks for itself," Keenum said.

Are you concerned about Simmons' behavior once he's on campus?

"I have complete trust and confidence in our athletic director and the decision he made on this matter, and I think he made a very good statement and I think it speaks for itself," Keenum said.

Would another student have been admitted in this situation if caught on video beating a woman?

"I have complete trust and confidence in the decision our athletic director made and I think his statement, if you read it, speaks for itself. That's my opinion. Thank you. Have a good night," Keenum said as he walked off to mingle at a fancy SEC reception.

(On this point about whether another Mississippi State student caught on video like this would have enrolled, Stricklin said, "The university, after being accepted, would not have a legal way to tell him he could not enroll is my understanding. We had conversations with the registrar's office.")

This is the SEC, where the reality of college football smacks you square in the face, even after all of the ugliness that transpired at Baylor with rapes, cover-ups and sexual assault victims getting cast aside. Because here's the dirty secret about Mississippi State's decision that flies in the face of conventional wisdom these days: If Mississippi State didn't take him, someone else would have.

"You know, I think that thought crosses your mind," Stricklin acknowledged in the most honest and damning statement of big-time college football you may ever read.

If you had some rule assuring you that no other school would take Simmons, would you not take him?

"It's hard to answer that because we don't have that rule," Stricklin said. "But again, you consider those things."

Mississippi State is basically banking on correcting Simmons' beating behavior instead of getting beat by him on Saturdays.

Maybe Simmons will never have another incident again. For the sake of Mississippi State students, here's hoping that to be true. Here's hoping Simmons gets help and takes advantage of a free college education to become a productive citizen. God knows Mississippi State has stuck its neck out for him. Keenum, Stricklin and Mullen all now officially own Simmons as they try to win games.

Because despite all of the well-intentioned improvements by some within the conference, this is still the SEC.

This is where five bad seconds are treated like the five-second rule when you drop your food and coaches believe they're capable of changing behavior in ways that no one else can

This is the SEC, where cowbells don't ring for angels.