SEC slaps Texas A&M with fine for field-storming after Alabama win

Texas A&M won’t regret it, but the school was slapped with a fine Monday by the SEC. The fine comes after the Aggies violated the conference’s access to competition area policy when fans stormed the field following their 41-38 upset of Alabama on Saturday night.

The win marked the first time since 2007 the Crimson Tide have lost to an unranked team. Nick Saban lost to a former assistant coach, too, dropping his record to 24-1 against former assistants.

And while the win will forever be remembered in College Station, it did come with a fine. The Aggies will pay $100,000 for the violation, marking the second time they have been charged by the conference for storming the field. The last came in 2018 after a seven-overtime win over LSU.

Per the SEC release, rushing the field violates the league’s access to competition area policy. Texas A&M will incur a fine of $100,000 for a second offense under the league’s access to competition area policy. The last time the Razorbacks were fine for the violation was when they defeated LSU in 2014. 

All of the money accumulated by the SEC from the fines are deposited into the SEC post-graduate scholarship fund. 

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.”

The SEC 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.

Texas A&M joins Arkansas, Kentucky with field-storming penalty

Texas A&M is not the first SEC program to incur a big fine for field storming this season. 

After Arkansas beat old Southwestern Conference rival Texas in Week 2 and fans stormed the field, the Hogs paid up on a $100,000 bill. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek was more than happy to fork it over for the historic win.

And Kentucky was given a similar fine after beating archirival Florida in Week 5. The win marked the first time the Wildcats beat the Gators in Lexington since 1986.

With Saturday night’s win, Texas A&M has reentered the AP top-25 poll and sits at No. 21 overall. The Aggies will visit Missouri on Saturday. Kick is set for 12 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.