SEC Aims to Address Problems From Fans Rushing Football Fields, Basketball Floors

The league announced "a working group on event security" following the latest issues stemming from mass celebrations.

Christopher Walsh | Nov 4, 2022

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Alabama Crimson Tide

In the wake of fans storming the field, and the subsequent controversy surrounding Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Jermaine Burton at Tennessee, the Southeastern Conference announced the creation of a working group on event security to "review and update policies intended to address post-game spectator incursion on competition fields and courts in the SEC."

The SEC Event Security Working Group will also consider strategies to support effective crowd management for the purpose of enhancing the safety and experience of fans, teams, staff and officials, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced.

In other words, they're looking into ways to curb fans storming football fields and basketball courts. The group will include athletics directors, event management directors and campus security personnel from a variety of SEC schools.

"Current Conference policies need to be reviewed and improved with a focus on addressing field and court incursions by spectators after contests," Sankey said in a statement. "The SEC's Working Group on Event Security will focus its efforts on reviewing existing policies, developing new strategies and identifying best practices to enhance crowd management and more effectively address field and court incursions at future SEC athletics events."

The league already has a hefty fine for violating the SEC's Access to Competition Area Policy, which stipulates automatic fines of $50,000 for the first violation, $100,000 for the second, and anything beyond that $250,000.

Tennessee was fined $100,000 following the dramatic 52-49 victory at Neyland Stadium, snapping a 15-game losing streak in the Third Saturday in October rivalry. It also had to deal with the cost of damage to the field including replacing the goalposts.

University of Tennessee president Randy Boyd was asked on camera how much the field storming would cost the university and responded: "It doesn't matter." However, a day later Tennessee athletic director Danny White took to social media to ask fans to help "cover the tab."

The SEC Working Group on Event Security consists of athletics directors Mitch Barnhart of Kentucky, Josh Brooks of Georgia and Greg Byrne of Alabama; Bryan Flood, Assistant Athletics Director for Game Management at Florida; Jay Logan, Associate Athletics Director for Event and Facility Management at Mississippi State; Mike Johnson, Chief of Police at Texas A&M, and Kelvin King, Executive Director of Campus Safety and Security at Auburn.

The working group will consult with campus and industry experts and provide recommendations by the 2023 SEC Spring Meetings, with implementation of any changes planned for the 2023-24 athletic year.

Alabama and Nick Saban have gotten heat for their handling of Burton after video surfaced of him apparently striking a female Volunteers fan as she ran past him.

The Alabama coach initially said the issue would be handled internally. When Burton played the following week against Mississippi State, and hadn't been handled, he was asked about it again.

"I don't know how many of you have ever been in a situation like that, but I talked to him," Saban said after the 30-6 win. "He was scared. I was scared. Some of our other players were scared. I think you learn to respect other people because we have a responsibility to do that regardless of the circumstance that we're in."

The ESPN broadcast during the Mississippi State game said that Burton was in an anger-management program. Saban made sure to clarify during the postgame press conference that that wasn't the case.

“And I talked to the guy," Saban said. "We have him in a counseling program— it’s not an anger-management program as people announced today. Nobody ever said that. That's not the problem. That's not the issue. But it's about having the proper respect for other people. And you know, I I didn't think it was necessary to suspend the guy. So if you knew the whole story, maybe you wouldn't either, but I'm not going to divulge that.”

Fans rushing the field following rare regular-season wins against Alabama have become the norm during the Saban years, including at Auburn and Ole Miss. The coach has won six national championships with the Crimson Tide, but only twice has his team finished undefeated.

In October, the presidents and chancellors of the SEC approved a conference regulation requiring each SEC member institution to verify in writing annually to the league office that an event security review of all sports venues has occurred in consultation with appropriate law enforcement. This security review aims to identify and implement procedures that provide robust security measures at each game and event.

"Providing consistent and appropriate levels of safety and security remains the common goal of SEC member institutions," Sankey said. "Our institutions remain current and vigilant in crowd control best practices and continue to work with local law enforcement to develop effective security protocols at SEC venues and we need to continue the adaptation of Conference policies to address emerging realities."

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