Sports

Pete Golding Critical Of Questionable Officiating That Cost Ole Miss $250K In Game Marred By Bad Behavior

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iStockphoto / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ole Miss was fined $250,000 for poor fan behavior.


The Ole Miss football team was annihilated by Georgia in Oxford on Saturday night. Fans took out their frustrations by throwing trash onto the field.

Those actions resulted in a five-minute stoppage of play. They will also cost the university $250,000.

The SEC posted an update on the fine this week. They also referenced their right to ban alcohol sales in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium moving forward.

Ole Miss football fans exhibit bad behavior.

The actions came in response to a pass interference call that went against the Rebels in the first half of action. Ole Miss was down 21-0 nothing at the time. In my opinion, it was a penalty that could’ve gone uncalled. I’ve seen worse go unnoticed.

The flag came on a third down incompletion. It gave the Bulldogs a first down rather than force a punt. Georgia took full advantage of the fresh set of downs, scoring a touchdown later in the drive to go up 28-0 before halftime.

Fans weren’t happy.

Emotions were heightened after officials wiped out an interception due to a questionable roughing the passer call earlier in the quarter.

Play had to be stopped momentarily while the debris was cleaned from the field. Ole Miss would lose the football game, 42-7.

Pete Golding was also critical.

The Southeastern Conference released a statement about the fan behavior on Monday. It has fined the Rebels $250,000.

The University of Mississippi will be assessed a financial penalty of $250,000 set forth by the Commissioner following interruption of its November 7 football game with the University of Georgia due to fans throwing debris onto the field, the Southeastern Conference announced Monday.

A portion of the second quarter of the Georgia-Ole Miss football game was delayed when some fans threw objects onto the playing field, interrupting the competitive opportunity for both teams and endangering contest participants.

In its response, the league also noted the ability to remove alcohol from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, though that action is not yet being taken.

The actions taken by the Conference are consistent with SEC Bylaws and Commissioner’s Regulations 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 Conference is not suspending alcohol sales privileges for the University of Mississippi at this time but reserves the right to do so in the future.

Fans throwing trash onto the field during games is nothing new. I’ve seen it firsthand at South Carolina. It happened earlier this year at Nebraska.

Texas and Texas Tech have both been recent violators of fan behavior policies, too. And we can’t forget Tennessee launching golf balls and mustard containers at Lane Kiffin after a loss to these same Ole Miss Rebels.

Emotions often get the best of fanbases when calls don’t go their team’s way. The response can be magnified by score and situation of the game.

There were a few other calls that didn’t go the Rebs’ way on Saturday night. And while he wouldn’t say the actions were justified, Pete Golding did voice his own criticism of the officiating crew after the game.

Everyone was unhappy in Oxford. It was a frustrating night. But while fans viewed their response as a protest, it did endanger other attendees, players, coaches, and staff. The SEC took a stance against the bad behavior in the form of a hefty fine.