SEC fines Kentucky $100,000 for rushing field after Mississippi State win
Kentucky’s huge upset win against Mississippi State came at an equally huge cost.
The school has been fined $100,000 by the SEC for fans coming onto Kroger Field following last Saturday’s game, a monumental win for the Wildcats. The steep cost is due to this being Kentucky’s second violation of the league rule — fans rushed the field after a 2014 win against South Carolina.
The league announced the penalty on Tuesday afternoon.
Here is the statement from the SEC office in Birmingham:
The Southeastern Conference announced today that the University of Kentucky will be fined for a violation of the league’s access to competition area policy, due to fans entering the field following its football game against Mississippi State University on September 22.
Kentucky will incur a fine of $100,000 for its second offense under the Conference’s current policy prohibiting fan access to the competition area. Kentucky was last fined for a violation following its football game against South Carolina in 2014.
“The Conference has unanimously approved a policy requiring fines be applied when spectators enter the playing field after a game,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “Fans are expected to remain in the stands and avoid the safety concerns associated with rushing on to the playing field. We want exciting experiences around SEC games, but also seek to maintain a safe environment for student-athletes, coaches, spectators and officials.”
At the 2015 SEC spring meetings, the league raised the fines to $50,000 for a first offense, $100,000 for a second and a whopping $250,000 for a third.
Despite the massive fine, the Wildcats’ resounding 28-7 win against then-No. 14 Mississippi State has launched them to No. 17 in this week’s AP Top 25. It’s the program’s first appearance in the poll since 2007.
Lord if they rush the field after beating Miss St what are they gunna do if they beat us? Burn the place down?
Probably. Look what happened when they beat us lol
as an Arkansas fan, I probably shouldn’t comment on much of anything but you have to feel for a program that considers beating miss st as monumental.
Don’t lose any sleep over that My.
Pretty sure we don’t have to worry about that.
A hand full of students got down there, not exactly “rushing” the field.
Doesn’t only a “handful” of students attend your games anyway? I mean, it’s not basketball…
FLipped a car for FL; Mass Standing the field for Miss St. I guess it will be a Great Adventure if we happen to beat GA. (sorry about that)
I am surprised that they consider this a “second strike”, with the first one being in 2014. When does this cycle renew? Is it like points on your driver’s license?
There is no statute of limitations in the SEC, apparently.
I was at the game and that field was NOT rushed. If more than 100 people total sprinkled in from different angles, I’m shocked.
It’s UK doing well in football. Safety wasn’t an issue; no one was put in any danger; sheesh… just let them celebrate a big win for their program.
What is going on in this crazy world? Kentucky 4-0!? Kentucky ranked!? What’s next? Kansas goes on a winning streak!?
” Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!Egon 40 years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria”… people understanding what Ed Orgeron says!
LOL, it was all good until you went completely nuts! Farmer Fran from Waterboy doesn’t even understand what Coach O says!
Should do what OM did and start a fundraiser, took them like a week to raise the money. But then, OM alums have never hesitated to open their coffers for football.
I get you want safety and all, but I don’t get fining the school. What do you want? To build a complete wall in front so fans can’t enter the field at all? It’s not like it was UK’s fault their fans went on the field. They didn’t say “Come rush the field!”
Kind of weak from the conference as most of those that went on the field did so well after the game and the majority were fellow students celebrating with their classmates in uniform. I have been part of a field storming (beating UT and Steve Supurrier) at UK and this was not close to those events. Go CATS!!!
It’s so nice we have the SEC watching out for our moral behavior.