Ole Miss Has To Pay Tennessee A Massive Amount After Storming The Court, Throwing Object Onto Court

Ole Miss is having to pay a pretty big fine for incidents that occurred during and after a game against Tennessee on Wednesday night. 

During the game against the Vols, there was a point where Tennessee’s Jordan Gainey was preparing to shoot a free-throw when a water bottle was thrown onto the court, causing a delay in the game to clear the playing surface. 

Obviously, there is some history between both schools and objects being thrown onto the playing surface, dating back to when Lane Kiffin was struck with a golf ball during the Ole Miss vs. Tennessee football game in 2021. This was part of a pretty big incident that saw fans throwing objects onto the field following a controversial play in the game. 

There were water bottles, beer, and even a mustard bottle thrown onto the field. 

On Wednesday night, it wasn't just the water bottle incident that led to the SEC fining Ole Miss $500,000. Following the final play of the game, multiple Ole Miss fans rushed the court in celebration, but a bit too early. There is a time period that must expire before fans are allowed to rush the court without receiving a fine from the SEC. 

Well, a few fans decided they couldn't wait any longer, so they took to the court in celebration, which forced the conference to issue the stiff monetary penalty towards Ole Miss. While it was only a small group of fans who rushed the court, it still triggered the penalty from the SEC. 

"Keith Carter and the Ole Miss leadership have been diligent in updating its postgame basketball court access policy and it was encouraging to see the vast majority of fans obey the new policy by remaining in the stands immediately following Wednesday’s game with Tennessee. It is disappointing that a small number of fans have created this problem, but the postgame court incursion by fans who disregarded the policy violates the expectations of the access to competition area policy," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. 

Ole Miss AD Keith Carter Responds To Penalty From SEC

Following the announcement from SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter released a statement regarding the matter, which he did not seem pleased with the actions of some of the Rebels faithful. 

"Wednesday was a momentous night for the Ole Miss men's basketball team. Our program has experienced record attendance growth this season, and that is due to the love and support of Rebel Nation. "Unfortunately, Wednesday's special moment was marred by the unacceptable behavior of a select few in our fanbase that chose to impatiently rush the court before the Tennessee team and game officials had exited and before the crowd was welcomed to come down," Keith Carter said.

"These selfish actions have consequences, as they will cost our coaches and student-athletes valuable resources. We are being levied a $500,000 fine to bring our department's total to $850,000 for the season. Additionally, SEC regulations dictate that this money be distributed to the opposing institution. With potential future fines continuing at a similar level, it is imperative that we take immediate action to end this behavior."

The school says that it is reviewing footage from the postgame incident, and will potentially penalize anyone caught on camera with a loss of attending future games. 

On the bright side for Tennessee, even with the loss, it will receive the $500,000 fine that the SEC penalized Ole Miss with on Friday due to new rules that were put in place. 

Nothing like a good ole SEC rivalry that ends with one school paying the other a half-million dollars following a win. 

Think of all the players they could've spent that money on with NIL.