SEC announces hefty fine for Auburn after fans storm the field following Iron Bowl win
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Auburn fans cost the school $250,000 this weekend.
While the school will never publicly admit this, beating Alabama was worth every penny.
Following Auburn’s epic 48-45 win over Alabama in the latest Iron Bowl, fans stormed the field. Allowing fans to storm the field is now banned by the SEC with each offense costing the school more money.
This was the fourth time Auburn fans have stormed the field since this policy was put into place.
The SEC announced the fine with the following statement on Monday:
Auburn University will be assessed a $250,000 fine for its fourth violation of the Southeastern Conference policy prohibiting postgame fan access to the competition area. This fine is applied after fans entered the field following the Auburn University football game against the University of Alabama on November 30.
Fines levied against schools for violation of the access to competition area policy are deposited into the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund.
The member universities of the Southeastern Conference unanimously approved the policy which requires fines to be applied when spectators enter the playing field after a game.
The policy states that “access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly-credentialed individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the competition area. It is the responsibility of each member institution to implement procedures to ensure compliance with this policy.”
Financial penalties, which were increased by action taken during the 2015 SEC Spring Meetings, are imposed for violations in all sports sponsored by the Conference. Institutional penalties range from $50,000 for a first offense to fines of up to $100,000 for a second offense and up to $250,000 for a third and subsequent offenses. The policy was originally adopted in 2004.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
