Officials at the University of Mississippi are urging fans to stop storming the court after Ole Miss was slapped with a $500,000 fine following the Rebels' 78-76 victory over Tennessee.
The administration released the following statement to fans:
Wednesday was a momentous night for the Ole Miss men’s basketball team. Our program has experienced record attendance growth this season, and that is due to the love and support of Rebel Nation. 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.
These selfish actions have consequences, as they will cost our coaches and student-athletes valuable resources. We are being levied a $500,000 fine to bring our department’s total to $850,000 for the season. Additionally, SEC regulations dictate that this money be distributed to the opposing institution. With potential future fines continuing at a similar level, it is imperative that we take immediate action to end this behavior.
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.
We appreciate the passionate support of the Ole Miss family and thank those who acted appropriately Wednesday night. It’s exciting to see our teams celebrate with our fans, and as administration, we encourage it. However, it should only occur when explicitly permitted. We ask that our fans help us avoid future fines by adhering to rules and policing each other. We remain focused on creating a bucket-list gameday experience, but losing resources as a result of fines can no longer be a part of that.
The news comes after Vanderbilt was fined a total of $750,000 for court storming following wins over Kentucky and Tennessee.
To mitigate the potential for such damages, Vanderbilt has come up with a seemingly unique idea. On Friday, the school issued a new court-storming policy that involves a one-minute countdown clock that will start once the game clock has expired. The idea is to allow sufficient time for opposing teams and officials to exit the court. Once the clock hits zero, everyone can then storm the court.
