The University of Texas this week announced that an investigation into an ugly bottle-throwing incident at a football game against Georgia failed to implicate anyone.
Longhorns fans threw bottles and other trash onto the field after a controversial pass interference penalty negated an interception at an Oct. 19 game against Georgia. The SEC fined Texas $250,000 and ordered to school to use "all available resources" to find and discipline any fans caught thrashing the field.
According to Texas, the school was unable to hold anyone accountable.
"Despite our best effort, we have not been able to identify the individuals at issue," Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said. "We will take action if new identifying information comes to light."
In a report to the SEC, Texas said it has since added more security cameras and hired additional security staff. The school has also updated fan conduct policies.
"Respect, sportsmanship, and fairness are values that drive us," Del Conte wrote to the SEC. "We expect fans to uphold these standards as well."
According to the Associated Press, which obtained a copy of Texas' report on the matter, the document includes a review of stadium operations and security polices, but not much in the way of how the actual investigation was conducted.
"The report offers no investigation details, such as how much video was reviewed, whether cameras actually caught fans throwing things, or if the school considered using facial recognition technology," the AP's Jim Vertuno reported. "The brief mention of the investigation does not explain why it was inconclusive."
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Thursday that the SEC will have offseason talks with schools about fan behavior, from bottle throwing to multiple instances of fans rushing the field.
“One of the learning experiences we’ve had, and this isn’t the only bottle throwing experience, we don’t always have cameras where there needs to be cameras,” Sankey said. “We will work to see how our stadiums may adjust.”
