Why Mississippi State’s $500K SEC Fine After Arizona State Win Is Worth Every Penny, Thanks To Rules
The Bulldogs’ postgame celebration comes with a hefty price tag, as the SEC enforces its updated penalties for field storming.
Mississippi State will gladly fork over the fine that SEC officials handed down on Monday following the win over Arizona State that resulted in fans rushing the field in celebration.
In the past, schools from the Southeastern Conference were penalized financially on a tier system, which started at $100,000 for the first incident, and increased from there.
But after a vote during SEC spring meetings this past June, conference officials decided that the penalty would actually start at $500,000 moving forward.
"The motivation was 'field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,'" SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at the meetings. "The random nature of, if you're the one getting rushed, it doesn't feel good. It might be the first time (it happened) there, but it might be your sixth time in a row, literally."
As for who will actually cash the check, Arizona State unfortunately will not see a dime, compared to if this had occurred against a conference opponent. Since this was an out-of-conference game, the financial penalty will go towards the SEC's Post-graduate Scholarship Fund.
New SEC Rules Mean Financial Penalty Won't Benefit Opponent
If Mississippi State had beaten, let's just say Alabama and fans would've rushed the field, the opposing school would receive the payout. So, it's actually a pretty nice situation for the Bulldogs, who don't have to fatten the pockets of a rival school within the SEC.
Sorry, Arizona State. You get nothing, besides the constant ear-ringing after listening to 60,000 cowbells for three hours. But, I'm sure the fine folks of Starkville hope that all the Sun Devil fans who made the trip enjoyed the hotels and restaurants in the area while they were in town.
Why Mississippi State’s $500K SEC Fine After Arizona State Win Is Worth Every Penny, Thanks To Rules Via: Mississippi State
Why Mississippi State’s $500K SEC Fine After Arizona State Win Is Worth Every Penny, Thanks To Rules Via: Mississippi State
This is the latest fine from the conference related to football, after both Vanderbilt and Tennessee had to write Alabama separate checks of $100,000 each following wins over the Crimson Tide' last season.
I'd imagine the Bulldogs athletic department has already wired the money, with a nice return on investment from the weekend.