Ole Miss and LSU paid the price for their football fans’ bad behavior.

The Southeastern Conference announced Monday that it has fined Ole Miss $350,000 and LSU $250,000 for spectator sportsmanship violations during games last weekend.

Ole Miss’ fine was a response to its fans rushing the field at the end of a 28-10 victory over No. 3 Georgia on Nov. 9. The fans came onto the field when Georgia turned the ball over on downs with 16 seconds left, and had to be cleared so Ole Miss could run one more play to run out the clock.

After the game, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin joked that the school might be fined twice for the celebration and he was technically correct.

In a statement announcing the penalties, the SEC said Ole Miss’ total is a combination of two fines — $250,000 for a second offense of the league’s access to competition area policy, and an extra $100,000 because the fans entered the field prior to the end of the game.

For SEC games, fines for violation of the access to competition area policy are paid to the opposing school. Other sportsmanship violation fines are paid into the SEC’s post-graduate scholarship program.

At his weekly press conference Monday, Kiffin smiled when he said his son’s friend brought him a piece of the goalpost that was torn down in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. He also said, however, that there needed to be a balance between enjoying the celebration and keeping both teams safe amidst the chaos.

“I’m kind of torn on that. Obviously it’s enjoyable for fans, but we also have policies and it’s not supposed to happen. You have to keep players safe and the other team safe, so I don’t really like that aspect of it, that we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do,” Kiffin said. “It was a little frustrating at the point when the game is still going on and it’s happening. The other team’s got to be safe and get off and they can’t.”

The LSU crowd threw debris onto the field after this penalty. pic.twitter.com/FjrYMc0r1U

— ESPN (@espn) November 10, 2024

LSU, meanwhile, was fined $250,000 for its fans’ actions during a 42-13 loss to Alabama at Tiger Stadium.
LSU fans threw bottles and other debris onto the field in the third quarter following a facemask penalty that was called against the Tigers.

In addition to the financial penalty, LSU will have to take other SEC-mandated measures that include identifying and banning fans who threw items onto the field; a review of game management and alcohol availability policies; and a review of security policies.

The University of Texas was fined $250,000 for a similar incident during its loss to Georgia on Oct. 19.

“LSU never, under any circumstances, condones the throwing of debris onto the field of play at any of its venues,” the LSU athletic department said in a statement. “This kind of unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated, and we will take immediate steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.”