Ole Miss fines hit $175K for fan behavior vs. LSU

Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior WriterOct 4, 2023, 06:09 PM ET
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- College football reporter
- Joined ESPN.com in 2007
- Graduate of Indiana University

Ole Miss will be fined $75,000 after fans threw debris onto the field in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 55-49 win against LSU, the SEC announced Wednesday.

The penalty comes in addition to the $100,000 fine levied against Ole Miss by the conference for fans storming the field after the upset victory.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on Wednesday also set additional requirements that must be met by the school, including using all available resources and video evidence to determine who threw the debris. Anyone identified as having been involved will be prohibited from attending Ole Miss athletic events for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

“The disruption and delay of Saturday night’s game must never be part of any SEC event,” Sankey said in a statement. “These actions are consistent with the oversight assigned by the membership to the SEC office, including the financial penalty and mandated reviews.”

The fans threw the debris following a controversial call on what was initially determined to be a touchdown from LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels to Brian Thomas Jr. The ruling on the field was a touchdown, and the play eventually put the Tigers up 49-40, but it was reviewed after video appeared to show Thomas without control of the football as his foot came down out of bounds.

The officials ruled he had control while still in bounds, and that’s when the bottles and cans began to fly. Stadium officials had to issue a statement through the public address announcer to get fans to stop because of player safety.

The SEC said the financial penalty will be deducted from the university’s share of SEC revenue distribution.

The SEC is also requiring Ole Miss to review and update its game management procedures and alcohol policies to make sure a similar incident doesn’t happen in the future. The conference said it is not suspending alcohol sales privileges for Mississippi at this time “but reserves the right to do so if other requirements outlined above are not met.”

According to the SEC, the penalties and requirements levied against Ole Miss are consistent with the commissioner’s rules related to the availability of alcohol sales, 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.”

Ole Miss also has to submit a report to the SEC “to summarize its efforts to identify and penalize offenders and its plan to enact policies to prevent future similar incidents while ensuring compliance with Conference standards.”