SEC punishes Texas after fans threw bottles, debris onto field vs. Georgia

The SEC has announced that it is issuing the Texas Longhorns a fine. This comes after fans delayed play by throwing trash and other debris onto the field during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

A fairly steep fine, in total SEC levied a $250,000 penalty against Texas.

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In addition to the fine, Texas will be required to use all available resources to track down the individuals who threw things onto the field. All individuals identified will be banned from Texas athletics events for the rest of the 2024-25 athletic year.

Texas must also review its gameday procedures and policy and report to the conference office with its findings.

“The throwing of debris and resulting interruption of play that took place Saturday night cannot be part of any SEC event,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “The SEC is assigned responsibility by its membership to enforce its sportsmanship and game management policies and these actions are consistent with that oversight responsibility, including the financial penalty and mandated reviews.”

Fans began throwing trash on the field in the second half of the game. On the play that led to the incident, Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. However, it was called back due to a questionable defensive pass interference. That call was questionable enough that during the stoppage to clean up the field, referees got together and overturned the call, making the interception stand.

That came while Texas was trying to come back down 23-0 at the half, adding to the emotions and frustrations that fans were feeling.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian worked during the stoppage to get fans to stop throwing trash onto the field. He also helped to orchestrate a cleanup with various people who were already on the field so that play could continue as quickly as possible.

The incident was reminiscent of the one between Ole Miss and Tennessee in 2021. In that game, which was Lane Kiffin‘s return as a head coach to Neyland Stadium, fans threw debris like a mustard bottle, golf ball, and other trash onto the field when they were frustrated over a call. The SEC later fined Tennessee $250,000 for that incident. Tennessee itself went on to ban several fans.

After the game, there was some criticism of how the officials handled the situation in Austin. In particular, there was frustration about the process of overturning the penalty after the stoppage, and whether that would have happened without a stoppage due to fans throwing trash on the field. In particular, Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks called for the SEC to address the situation.

“I don’t find it productive to publicly demean or embarrass officials or the conference office via social media. That would be no better than the physical action of throwing objects on the field,” Brooks wrote in part.

“However, I will challenge the conference office on what happened and how it happened in the manner it did. Thankfully this did not cost our young men a hard fought win…What I cannot accept is the manner in which this specific call was reversed. The official claimed he erred in the call. My question is when did he realize the error? If it was before the delay that occurred due to fans throwing objects on the field, what stopped him before the head official made the announcement and spotted the ball? I have faith we, as a conference, will learn from this and get better.”

Ultimately Georgia beat Texas 30-15 and the result of the play didn’t have an impact on the end result. However, there is clearly frustration with the process on the play from officials.

Texas officials release joint statement condemning fan behavior, throwing debris during Georgia game

In the wake of the debris-throwing incident, officials from Texas, including UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, UT President Jay Hartzell, and UT Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, released a joint statement condemning the actions of some fans.

“While we deeply appreciate the passion and loyalty of our fan base at the University of Texas at Austin, we do not condone the unsportsmanlike conduct that was exhibited by some individuals throwing objects onto the field during last night’s game and sincerely apologize to the University of Georgia players, coaches, and fans, as well as the Southeastern Conference and officiating crew,” the statement read.

“This type of behavior will not be tolerated. Respect, sportsmanship, and fairness are the values that drive our program, and we expect all of our fans to uphold these standards. We are committed to fostering a positive environment for all participants, teams, officials, and fans, and we will take steps to ensure that this type of behavior does not happen again. We appreciate the support of Longhorn Nation and are confident that, moving forward, we will continue to represent our university with pride and respect. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”