Winning is expensive for LSU, and it has nothing to do with name, image and likeness. The SEC fined the school $250,000 after fans stormed the field following Saturday's 32-31 win over Alabama in overtime. It was LSU's fourth offense under the rule that prevents fans from entering the playing surface of athletic events. The program was also fined $250,000 for violating the same SEC policy last month following a win over then-undefeated Ole Miss.
Saturday's celebration was set off when Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels hit tight end Mason Taylor for the game-winning 2-point conversion in the bottom of the first overtime period. Players swarmed Taylor near the front pylon as fans poured on the field to celebrate the Tigers' first win over Alabama since 2019.
The SEC's current policy calls for a $50,000 fine for the first offense, $100,000 for a second offense and $250,000 for every other instance after that. The new policy went into effect prior to the 2015-16 school year.
Tennessee was fined $100,000 last month after the Volunteers pulled off their own upset over Alabama.
LSU's fine comes two days after the conference announced that it has created a working group aimed at preventing fans from entering the playing surface.
"Current Conference policies need to be reviewed and improved with a focus on addressing field and court incursions by spectators after contests," commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "The SEC's Working Group on Event Security will focus its efforts on reviewing existing policies, developing new strategies and identifying best practices to enhance crowd management and more effectively address field and court incursions at future SEC athletics events."
The expectation is that the working group, which consists of athletic directors, event management officials and security personnel, will present a proposal to the full conference at the conference's spring meeting session next spring.
"Providing consistent and appropriate levels of safety and security remains the common goal of SEC member institutions," Sankey said. "Our institutions remain current and vigilant in crowd control best practices and continue to work with local law enforcement to develop effective security protocols at SEC venues and we need to continue the adaptation of conference policies to address emerging realities."