The SEC fined Mississippi State $500,000 after students stormed the field following Saturday’s victory over Arizona State.
According to ESPN, the students did not give the Sun Devils or officials a chance to leave the field before running from the seating at Davis Wade Stadium and taking over the field. Students also removed goalposts and carried them out of the stadium.
Related: SEC Commissioner Sankey Increases Fines for Court Storming to $500K
The SEC maintains the ability to waive the penalty if the opposing team and officials have left the field of play before the students storm the area, but that was not the case for Mississippi State.
This is the first season of the SEC’s new field and court-storming fine system. All SEC schools will be fined $500,000 each time students storm the field or court before the opposing team can leave the area. Some schools, like the University of Arkansas and Vanderbilt, have begun using “countdown clocks” that require students to wait at least three minutes before storming the field.
In 2024, the SEC fined “an offending school $100,000 for a first offense, with the number growing to $250,000 and $500,000 for continued violations.”
According to Outkick, the funds from the fine will go toward SEC’s post-graduate scholarship fund because Arizona State is a non-conference opponent. If Mississippi State students had rushed the field against another SEC school, then the opposing school would receive some compensation.
"The motivation was 'field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,'" SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. "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. We try to set some expectations to the fan base of 'We'll welcome your celebration, but let's let the team from the visiting institution and the officials depart.’ “
