Ole Miss was forced to pay a fine of $500,000 for a very small court storm after its college basketball game against Tennessee on Wednesday night. Athletic director Keith Carter threatened to ban students (and other fans) from future sporting events if this trend continues.
The fines are really starting to add up when money is more important than ever…
This whole thing started back in in 2022 when Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton struck a female Tennessee fan during a field storm. The SEC decided to try and fix the problem with a system of financial penalties for the violation of access to the competition area. They compound over time.
- First violation — $100,000
- Second violation — $250,000
- Third violation — $500,000
- Every subsequent violation — $500,000
All fines are paid to the opposing school, which leads us to what happened in Oxford this week. Ole Miss paid $500,000 to Tennessee.
The Rebels were cited for their first violation after a win over LSU in football on Sept. 30, 2023 and paid $100,000 to the Tigers. They stormed the field after a win over Georgia in football on Nov. 9, 2024 and paid $250,000 to the Bulldogs.
Wednesday was the third offense. A very small group of fans stormed the college basketball court as soon as the final buzzer sound. Everybody else stayed in the stands.
The fans who remained in their seats were eventually invited onto the court after the visiting players and game officials had safely returned to their respective locker room. It was incredible scenes.
Ole Miss was not penalized for the secondary storm. Fans were invited onto the court to celebrate! Rather, it was the small group of fans who got onto the court before they were invited that will cost the university a tertiary fine of $500,000. The money will be paid directly to Tennessee.
In response to the news, athletic director Keith Carter issued a very strict threat.
Unfortunately, Wednesday’s special moment was marred by the unacceptable behavior of a select few in our fanbase that chose to impatiently rush the court before the Tennessee team and game officials had exited and before the crowd was welcomed to come down […]
Our staff is currently reviewing postgame footage from Wednesday, and any individuals who are identified will face the potential loss of game privileges. Entering the playing surface without permission is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated. Penalties will be increased moving forward, including holding perpetrators on the court or field and revoking their game privileges on site. We are also exploring other avenues to hold those that break the rules accountable. Simply put, this must stop.
— Keith Carter
I completely understand the need for this kind of message. $500,000 is a lot of money in the NIL era. That might as well be the cost of a linebacker or a wide receiver through the transfer portal.
However, it is a real shame that fans (really just the students) could be suspended indefinitely from all future sporting events for celebrating a monumental victory at a game where they had an active role in the outcome. And if we’re being honest, those court-storming students likely had a few alcoholic beverages in them that only helped to encourage the excitement.
The policy exists for a reason and Carter’s new threat is intended to minimize further fines. It makes sense but at its core, all it does is make college sports less fun. Court and field storms are fun!