BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Oct. 15, 2018) – The Southeastern Conference announced today that Louisiana State University will be fined for a violation of the league’s access to competition area policy, due to fans entering the field following its football game against the University of Georgia on October 13.
LSU will incur a fine of $100,000 for its second offense under the Conference’s current policy prohibiting fan access to the competition area. LSU was last fined for a violation following its football game against Ole Miss in 2014.
Fines levied against schools for violation of the access to competition area policy are deposited into the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund.
SEC schools unanimously approved the policy which requires fines to be applied when spectators enter the playing field after a game. The policy states that “access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly-credentialed individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the competition area. It is the responsibility of each member institution to implement procedures to ensure compliance with this policy.”
Financial penalties, which were increased by action taken during the 2015 SEC Spring Meetings, are imposed for violations in all sports sponsored by the Conference. Institutional penalties range from $50,000 for a first offense to fines of up to $100,000 for a second offense and up to $250,000 for a third and subsequent offenses. The policy was originally adopted in 2004.
