The SEC is now considering drastic punishments for fans storming the field at the end of games.
To combat the issue, the Southeastern Conference is looking at possibly taking away home games or forcing forfeiture for teams whose fans storm the field, according to Pat Forde with Sports Illustrated.
“Here in Dallas for CFP meetings, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey says on the league’s field storming: Forfeiting a home game as a penalty was “identified” by the working group, but a wide range of options have been discussed and identified. Nothing is final,” Ross Dellenger wrote on Twitter.
Forde described a scenario in which a team would be forced to play three-straight games at a rival if its fans celebrate a home win over that rival by rushing onto the field.
He wrote it is one “possible sanction as the SEC searches for a stronger deterrent to field storming than six-figure fines.”
Fans rushing the field to celebrate landmark victories, almost all with joyous intentions of honoring their team’s success. The unforgettable scenes have never been more unwelcome in the Southeastern Conference.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NCAA stories via Google! Follow Us
LSU was fined $250,000 twice in 2022. Fans rushed the field after wins over Ole Miss and Alabama.
Also last year was video showing Alabama receiver Jermaine Burton making contact with a female fan while coming off the field when the Vols ended a 15-game losing streak to Alabama.
The SEC has had a policy on field or court storming in place since 2004. It fines a school $50,000 for a first offense, then increases it to $100,000 for a second offense and $250,000 for each one after that. The fine money is deposited into the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund.
Clearly, that is not working and the SEC is trying to make the punishments worse to really get their point across.
We shall see if thousands of drunk fans will actually care in 2023.
