KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has announced that the University of Tennessee has been fined for fans rushing the field after the the Vols won against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.
The SEC reported on Sunday, Oct. 16 that Tennessee will incur a $100,000 fine for violating the league’s access to competition area policy.
This is the second time that Tennessee has been fined for this policy, with the first time being a basketball game against Florida in 2006 according to the SEC.
These fines will be deposited into the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund according to the SEC announcement.
The policy states that “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.”
These penalties are imposed for violations from all sports that are sponsored by the SEC, the conference said.
According to the SEC, these penalties range from $50,000 for a first offense, $100,000 for a second offense, and up to $250,000 every subsequent offense.
The policy implementing these fines was originally adopted by the SEC in 2004 by a vote of conference members, and the later increase of financial penalties was added during the 2015 SEC Spring Meetings, according to the conference.
