Fans rushed the field at the end of Oklahoma’s win over Alabama near the end of the 2024 season. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
(Brian Bahr via Getty Images)
Fines are increasing for field and court stormings in the SEC.
The conference’s presidents and chancellors voted at the league’s spring meetings Thursday to raise the fines for a field storming or court storming to $500,000.
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Before 2025, field and court-storming fines were given on an escalating basis. In the penultimate week of the regular season, Oklahoma was fined $100,000 on two separate occasions for its fans running on the field at the end of the Sooners’ upset win over Alabama. Fans rushed the field before the game was over and then when the game was officially over to get the two fines.
That loss effectively eliminated Alabama from the College Football Playoff. The Tide’s exclusion from the 12-team format has led to the topic of future CFP formats dominating the discussion at the spring meetings.
$100,000 had been the fine for the first time a school’s fans had invaded and $250,000 was the fine for a second infraction. A $500,000 fine was only given for a school’s third court or field storming of the season.
Though the new penalties are much higher than the previous fines, there’s a caveat attached going forward. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said the league has the ability to not issue a fine if fans come onto the court or field after the visiting team and the game officials have exited. The fines were implemented in an attempt to protect the losing road teams; when a school is fined, the money is paid to the team who was on the other end of the storming.
