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The wild scene at Bud Walton Arena following Arkansas’ upset win over No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday came with a hefty price tag.
As expected, the Razorbacks have been fined $250,000 for their third violation of the SEC’s “access to competition area” policy, which was adopted in 2004 and modified in 2015.
“Access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly-credentialed individuals at all times,” the policy reads. “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.”
A large portion of Arkansas’ record-breaking crowd of 20,327 poured out onto the floor at Bud Walton Arena immediately following the 80-76 overtime win and celebrated with the team.
Both of Arkansas’ first two offenses happened in football. Fans stormed the field following a 17-0 win over LSU that snapped the program’s 17-game SEC losing streak in 2014 and then again following last September’s dominant win over Texas.
The UA was issued a $25,000 fine for the 2014 event, but the SEC has since increased first-time violations to $50,000.
It was fined $100,000 following the Texas game and will now be fined $250,000 for each time fans storm the field or court in the future, as there is no timeframe for the penalties to reset. All fines go toward the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund.
