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Ole Miss, Kentucky fined for storming field following key wins Saturday
By Ethan Levine
Published:
The SEC handed down fines to the University of Mississippi and the University of Kentucky Sunday afternoon after fans of both teams stormed the field following home victories over Alabama and South Carolina, respectively.
Ole Miss will be fined $50,000 because it was the university’s third field-storming offense in the last three years; Kentucky was fined $25,000 for its first offense in the last three years.
According to SEC spokesman Chuck Dunlap, the fines were a result of violations of the SEC’s “access to competition area policy,” which forbids spectators from storming the field following a game.
As Dunlap explained, the policy states “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.”
SEC commissioner Mike Slive also commented on the infractions, explaining the purpose of the rule and why it was enforced against Ole Miss and UK.
“Saturday’s games were filled with excitement and celebration for a number of schools across the SEC last weekend, but significant risk of injury for student-athletes and fans alike can result from incidents such as these,” Slive said. “Health and safety will always be a top priority at SEC athletic events.”
The ban on storming the field has been in place in the SEC for nearly a decade, dating back to Dec. 1, 2004.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
