The Texas Longhorns have been fined $250,000 by the SEC for Saturday’s incident after a costly error by students launching bottles and other debris down on the field. This was the visceral response to a hotly contested penalty against the Texas Longhorns. Several integral parts of Longhorn Nation have spoken out about the unflattering incident. The SEC handed down a punishment based on their sportsmanship, game management, and alcohol policies. The Texas Longhorns will pay the Georgia Bulldogs for their students’ actions in Week 8.
Incident & Result
The stage was set in the third quarter of last Saturday’s Texas vs Georgia game. Tempers flared across Darrell K Royal Stadium after a pivotal Texas Longhorns play was flagged. Defensive Back Jahdae Barron intercepted a pass from Georgia Bulldogs Quarterback Carson Beck. It was ruled as a defensive pass interference. Texas Longhorns fans irately expressed their displeasure by hurling bottles and debris on the field.
After the delay this caused, the referees came out with an unheard of decision. The pass interference call was overturned, and the Georgia Bulldogs head coach was not having it. However, the bottle-throwing incident would not go without consequences from their new conference. ESPN’s Peter Thamel reports on X that,
“SEC announces that Texas will be assessed a financial penalty of $250,000 and also ‘required to use all available resources, including security, stadium and television video, to identify individuals who threw objects onto the playing field or at the opposing team.’” If that wasn’t enough, it doesn’t end there for Texas Longhorns fans. According to the SEC, all students involved are banned for the rest of the school year.
This supposedly includes Texas athletics as a whole for 24-25, not just football games. The official statement from the SEC also reserves the right to revisit school alcohol policies. The official language of the Bylaws states, “If cans or plastic bottles are used as projectiles or otherwise cause game management issues, the institution is subject to an immediate fine and suspension of the alcohol sales privilege.” They have decided to not ban the University’s alcohol sales privileges at this time.
After the Dust Settled
In the aftermath of the Texas bottle-throwing debacle, several Longhorns have spoken out. Texas Longhorn fixture Matthew McConaughey posted a lengthy but direct message on X to Longhorn Nation. Coach Sarkisian’s statement urged fans to look beyond their passion to the core of the game.
“We don’t want that to be the narrative that that’s what DKR is all about. It was too good of a football game for that to be the focal point of it all. I think in the end they got it [the penalty reversal] right.” Georgia Bulldogs Coach Kirby Smart had some thoughts after the fact as well, saying, “I will say that now we’ve set a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, that you’ve got a chance to get your call reversed. And that’s unfortunate, because, to me, that’s dangerous. That’s not what we want. That’s not criticizing officials, that’s what happened.”
Official Statements
The Texas Longhorns have by now put out several official statements as well. Including the University’s President, Jay Hartzell, who sent a message to all students. President Hartzell reminded the students of their newness to the SEC along with the proper consequences.
There has also been a statement released from the Texas Longhorns Athletics organization. It is a joint statement between the following individuals: Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, and UT President Jay Hartzell. According to ESPN, their released statement said the following, “This type of behavior will not be tolerated. We are committed to fostering a positive environment for all participants, teams, officials and fans, and we will take steps to ensure that this type of behavior does not happen again.”
Final Thoughts
The financial penalty imposed by the SEC, though severe, is not without precedent. It does follow the bylaw language referenced above set out by the SEC. Remember, back in September the Texas Longhorns originally knocked Georgia out of the top spot. Now the Georgia Bulldogs have arguably pulled off their revenge knocking Texas off the top.
They’ve brought back the energy from their first game of the season against Clemson. Meanwhile, several parties have spoken out, and we’ll see how the Texas Longhorns move forward. The next game is over in Nashville, Tennessee at FirstBank Stadium – home of the Vanderbilt Commodores.
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