On Sunday afternoon, the SEC announced that Oklahoma has been issued a hefty fine after fans stormed Owen Field for the first time since 2000.
As the Sooners wrapped up a dominant 24-3 upset win over No. 7 Alabama on Saturday, the crowd spilled onto the field on two occasions. Fans prematurely rushed with 28 seconds remaining in the game, believing that the clock would expire without interruption. However, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables had called timeout to allow seventh-year senior QB Casey Thompson to take the final snap. Officials cleared the playing surface and Thompson took a knee to end the game, at which point the raucous crowd stormed the field for a second time.
Here’s the conference press release in full:
The Southeastern Conference announced today that Auburn University will be fined $100,000 and the University of Oklahoma will be fined $200,000 for violations of the league’s access to competition area policy due to fans entering the field following its football games on November 23.
Auburn was in violation of the policy following its game against Texas A&M University and will incur a fine of $100,000 for a first offense under the league’s current access to competition area policy that was revised at the SEC Spring Meetings in 2023.
Oklahoma was in violation of the policy following its game against the University of Alabama and will incur a fine of $100,000 for a first offense under the policy. In addition, Oklahoma will incur an additional fine of $100,000 due to fans entering the field prior to the end of the Alabama game, which caused a delay in the contest.
For Conference contests, fines for violation of the access to competition area policy are paid to the opposing institution.
The policy states that “institutions shall limit access to competition areas to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly credentialed or authorized individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest may spectators enter the competition area.”
Financial penalties are imposed for violations in all sports sponsored by the Conference. Institutional penalties range from $100,000 for a first offense, $250,000 for a second offense and $500,000 for a third and subsequent offenses.
The policy was originally adopted by a vote of Conference members in 2004 and financial penalties were increased by action taken by the membership in 2015 and again in 2023.
