The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has announced a new policy concerning the penalties associated with rushing the field or court after games. Commissioner Greg Sankey revealed that the fine for this action will be set uniformly at $500,000, doing away with the previous escalating fine structure that increased penalties for repeat offenses. This announcement took place during the SEC spring meetings concluding in Miramar Beach, Florida.

“The motivation was ‘field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,’” Sankey stated. “The random nature of, if you’re the one getting rushed, it doesn’t feel good.”

Under the former system, fines started at $100,000 for the first violation and could escalate to $500,000 for subsequent infractions. Now, the SEC can waive fines if both the visiting team’s and officials’ safe return to the locker rooms happens before fans enter the field.

Despite being a longstanding tradition, the number of fans rushing onto sports fields to celebrate victories has surged in recent years, an event that had recently incurred hefty fines, with Ole Miss being fined $350,000 for such an occurrence against Georgia in 2024. The new policy is likely to bring more consistency in enforcing penalties for this behavior.