Ole Miss Faces Additional $75,000 Fine After Debris-Throwing Incident

An additional $75,000 fine was imposed on Ole Miss after Rebels fans threw debris on the field during the fourth quarter.

The SEC has announced a $75,000 fine for the Ole Miss Rebels in response to an incident where fans threw objects onto the field during the fourth quarter of their 55-49 win against LSU this past Saturday.

This fine is in addition to the $100,000 penalty imposed on Ole Miss for fans storming the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium after the upset victory.

The throwing of debris was triggered by a disputed call involving what was initially ruled as a touchdown pass from LSU's quarterback Jayden Daniels to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. 

While the on-field ruling was a touchdown, putting the Tigers ahead 49-40, video replay seemed to show that Thomas had lost control of the football, and his foot had touched out of bounds.

The incident involving bottles and cans being thrown occurred when officials determined that Thomas had maintained possession of the ball while remaining inbounds.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has established requirements for the school to meet. The institution must make use of all available resources to identify those responsible for throwing debris onto the field. Video surveillance reviews will be carried out, and individuals identified will be barred from attending Ole Miss athletics events for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season.

"The disruption and delay of Saturday night’s game must never be part of any SEC event," Sankey stated in a press release. "These actions are in line with the oversight assigned by the membership to the SEC office, including the financial penalty and mandated reviews."

Sankey and the SEC are demanding a report from Ole Miss that summarizes its efforts to identify and penalize the individuals responsible and outlines its plan to implement policies that prevent similar incidents in the future while ensuring compliance with conference standards.

According to the SEC, the penalties and requirements imposed on Ole Miss align with the commissioner's rules concerning the sale of alcohol, which state that "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 alcohol sales privileges."

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is set for back-to-back SEC matchups as the Ole Miss Rebels take on the Arkansas Razorbacks this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.