The University of Tennessee announced that it will ban 16 students and nine other fans from attending all athletic events through the spring after they threw trash and debris onto Neyland Field during the Oct. 16 matchup against Ole Miss.
Tennessee athletic director Danny White sent a letter to SEC Commissioner Greg Sanky providing guidelines that the university will incorporate to prevent future incidents.
The incident began as Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin spoke with a referee after a huge fourth-down review and was hit by a golf ball from the stands. Following the golf ball, UT fans launched a sea of debris—a mustard bottle, water bottles, beer cans, pizza boxes and more—on the field toward the Rebels sideline, prompting officials to stop the game.
There will be several immediate and long-term changes set at Neyland Stadium following the incident, according to Becca Wright of the Knoxville News. In the short term, the school will prohibit student guests tickets for the Nov. 13 game against Georgia, increase police and security staffers in the student section, require students who request tickets to agree to SEC and UT fan codes of conduct, add enhanced metal detectors and more signs and make PA announcements warning against misconduct.
The stadium will also undergo a big picture security review, according to the university. Future considerations for the stadium involve adding more cameras, providing more gameday staff and restructuring how students enter the stadium to limit lines at stadium gates.
51 fans were ejected from the stadium and 18 were arrested, according to the UT Police Department. In addition, one police report stated that a crowd of fans damaged a Rebels semi truck outsider the stadium after the game.
The SEC penalized the university with a $250,000. The fine will be deducted from UT's share of SEC revenue distribution.
