The Tennessee Volunteers got back in the SEC race on Saturday, pulling off a 24-17 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide to improve to 6-1 on the season.
As is often the case, the upset home victory led to Tennessee fans rushing the field in jubilation over pulling off a significant win over a big rival.
Unfortunately for the Vols, rushing the field comes at a price. On Sunday, the SEC announced that the school would be fined $100,000 for its first violation of the access to the competition area policy.
The policy, which was amended in 2023, states, “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.”
This is Tennessee’s first violation of the policy. The school will be fined $250,000 for its next violation and $500,000 for any ensuing violations. The fine is paid to the opposing institution, in this case, Alabama.
The policy was implemented initially in 2004 before being amended in 2015 and, as previously mentioned, in 2023. This year, Tennessee is the fourth school to be fined for a policy violation, joining the Vanderbilt Commodores, Arkansas Razorbacks, and LSU Tigers.
Tennessee is on a bye week and will return to action on November 6 against the Kentucky Wildcats.
