SEC fines Ole Miss $250,000 for fan conduct during Georgia game
The SEC handed down punishments to Ole Miss after its fans caused a delay in Saturday’s 42-7 loss to Georgia in Oxford, Mississippi.
During the second quarter, fans began throwing bottles and light-up wristbands onto the field of play after the Rebels were called for a pass interference penalty.
The game was delayed as the field was cleared. Because of those actions, the SEC fined Ole Miss $250,000 for the incident.
“The University of Mississippi will be assessed the financial penalty under the sportsmanship, game management and alcohol availability policies established by the Southeastern Conference,” the league said in a statement.
The actions taken by the conference are consistent with SEC bylaws related to the availability of alcoholic beverages at athletics events, which state: “If cans or plastic bottles are used as projectiles or otherwise cause game management issues, the institution is subject to an immediate fine and suspension of the alcohol sales privilege.”
The SEC stated that alcohol sales at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will not be suspended, but the league reserves the right to do so in the future.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart commented on the incident after the game.
“I saw some little small — looked like ice, like little small, I don’t know what they were,” Smart said. “But I didn’t see bottles. They didn’t seem like Texas to me. I thought they could have kept playing. But that’s what it is. I mean, people want to do that, not very smart. But it’s interrupting a good game.”
This is not the first time Georgia has been involved in a situation like this, as Georgia’s 2024 game at Texas was marred by a similar incident. The SEC fined Texas $250,000 for the incident.