The SEC fines Texas $250,000. The Longhorns apologize after fans threw trash on the field against Georgia

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Georgia coach Kirby Smart was initially careful with his words when asked about Texas fans littering the north end of the field with water bottles and other trash after an interception by the top-ranked Longhorns briefly by a player The pass interference penalty had been wiped out before the officials changed their decision.

“I’m not going to comment because I want to respect the wishes of the SEC office,” Smart initially said when asked about the disruption during the fifth ranking The Bulldogs’ 30:15 victory Saturday evening. “But I have to say, now we have a precedent: If you throw a lot of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, you have a chance of having your call overturned.”

The Southeastern Conference released a statement early Sunday saying the officials made the right decision because there was no penalty with 3:12 left in the third quarter. Before the pick, there was contact between cornerback Jahdae Barron and receiver Arian Smith.

“The match officials gathered to discuss the play allowed to ensure the correct penalty was enforced. At that point, the referee called reported that he had made an error and a foul for defensive pass interference should not have been called,” the statement said.

However, the league said the disruption caused by the debris on the field would be reviewed in light of SEC athletic policies and procedures.

“Although the original assessment and adjudication of the penalty was not properly conducted, it is unacceptable for debris to be thrown onto the field at any time,” the league said.

After determining the officials made the right decision, the SEC penalized the Longhorns for the stoppage on Sunday. Texas will be fined $250,000 and must meet the requirements established by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.

Those requirements include using available resources to find and suspend fans who have thrown debris onto the field or Georgia sideline, reviewing alcohol availability policies and submitting a report of the school’s findings to the SEC.

The SEC has not suspended alcohol sales in Texas but may do so if the Longhorns fail to meet its requirements.

“The throwing of debris and resulting interruption of play that occurred Saturday evening cannot be part of an SEC event,” Sankey said in Sunday’s press release. “The SEC is delegated by its members the responsibility to enforce its sports and game management policies, and these actions are consistent with that oversight responsibility, including financial penalties and mandatory reviews.”

Texas issued a joint statement from CEO Kevin Eltife, President Jay Hartzell and Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, who condemned the bottle throwing and apologized to Georgia players and staff, the SEC and game officials.

“This type of behavior will not be tolerated,” the statement said. “We are committed to creating a positive environment for all participants, teams, officials and fans and we will take action to ensure this type of behavior does not occur again.”

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian was angry at the officials for the call, which appeared to have negated Barron’s 36-yard interception return to the Georgia 9. The coach then walked to the far corner of the field and signaled the student section to calm down and stop throwing things.

“I understand the frustration,” Sarkisian said. “We were all frustrated at the moment. But you know… I know we can do better across the Longhorn Nation.”

While the debris was removed, officials discussed the game and picked up the flag.

Smart then protested to referee Matt Loeffler, who, according to the coach, told him that the first penalty had been given to the wrong person.

“It took him a long time to realize that,” said Smart, who was then asked who the right guy was. “I guess the offensive type. You know, 11 (Smith) and 7 (Barron), two different numbers. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced that in my entire coaching career.”

The SEC Tennessee was also fined the Sunday after Fans stormed the pitch following a 24-17 victory over Alabama on Saturday evening. It was the school’s first offense, so it was fined $100,000 under the league’s competition area access policy.

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