Greg Sankey Announces Massive Increase In SEC's Financial Penalties For Field, Court Storming

DESTIN, Fl - Just as SEC spring meetings were coming to an end on Thursday afternoon in Florida, commissioner Greg Sankey announced that the conference has adopted new financial penalties for field and court storming events that take place following wins. 

Taking a stronger stance on home teams that allow fans onto the playing surface following an upset win, the SEC is no longer providing a tier system when it comes to financial penalties. As we've seen in recent years, there has certainly been an uptick in fans rushing the playing surface, which has led to a few dust-ups involving fans and athletes. 

Over the last few years, the SEC has established a pay-scale system for teams penalized for these postgame events. The first offense would cost a university $100,000 and the second offense lead to a $250,000 fine. If a school ‘allowed’ fans to enter the field or court a third time, the fine would escalate to $500,000. 

The conference also changed how the fines would be paid, with the home team having to write a check to the opposing team for a violation. 

NORMAN, OKLAHOMA - NOVEMBER 23: Fans flood the field to celebrate a win by the Oklahoma Sooners over the Alabama Crimson Tide at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2024 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma won 24-3. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Now, there will no longer be an escalating system, with every incident costing the school $500,000 going forward. Obviously, this is a major change which schools tried to avoid plenty of times last season with little success. 

"The motivation was ‘field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,’" Greg Sankey said Thursday.. "The random nature of, if you’re the one getting rushed, it doesn’t feel good. It might be the first time (it happened) there, but it might be your sixth time in a row, literally."

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The financial penalties were increased due to incidents like the one that occurred in Knoxville, when Alabama receiver Jermaine Burton allegedly struck a female fan in the face as fans stormed the field following the 52-49 win. 

Alabama Cashed-In Last Season, Thanks To Vanderbilt, Tennessee And Oklahoma

While the school obviously did not want to be on the receiving end of a check written to the school from an opposing team, Alabama took home numerous paydays last year during the college football season. 

Following Vanderbilt's 40-35 upset win over Alabama that saw the goalposts end up in the Cumberland River after being carried over two miles from the Commodores campus, the Crimson Tide received a nice financial bonus for their troubles. 

Then, it was Tennessee being fined $100,000 for its fans storming the field following the 24-17 win over Alabama. This came just two weeks after Arkansas was fined $250,000 for fans going hog-wild after beating the Vols in Fayetville. 

The fun at Alabama's expense, no pun intended, continued after Oklahoma defeated the Tide' 24-3 last November. But, it was the Sooners being fined twice for one game that received the most attention. Oklahoma was actually fined $100,000 for fans storming the field while there was still time left on the clock, which led to the game being delayed so that officials could get the playing surface cleared. 

Then, the Sooners were fined the customary $100,000 for the actual storming of the field, which the school gladly paid after the upset win. But, being fined twice for one game had to be a record for the SEC, with Alabama cashing another check in the process. 

Getting back to Vanderbilt though, the school racked up further damage when the basketball team pulled off two upset wins on consecutive weekends, costing the school $500,000. 

There were different practices used during the basketball season by schools to avoid fines, with teams urging students to stay off the court until a certain period of time had expired, then students could do whatever they wanted in terms of rushing the court. 

Now, it's going to cost a lot more money when fans decide to overrun security and rush the field or basketball court. 

I don't know if we'll ever see a run like Alabama had in 2024, which unfortunately for the Tide', came after three different losses.