Texas has been fined $250,000 by the Southeastern Conference for fan disturbances and behavior against Georgia.

During Saturday night’s 30-15 loss to the Bulldogs, trouble brewed in the stands as Longhorns fans threw trash onto the field following a controversial pass interference call. Trailing 23-0 at half-time, the mood among the Longhorns fans was sour and the atmosphere worsened when Carson Beck threw an interception late in the third, only for the play to be called back for defensive pass interference.

Angry supporters began launching bottles and other debris onto the pitch and the game had to be temporarily delayed while the missiles were cleaned up. Incredibly, the officials reversed the call amid the furious outburst to hand Texas possession again despite already announcing the decision and marked the ball ready for the Bulldogs’ possession.

Texas issued an apology on Sunday regarding the fan behaviour but the SEC slapped the team with a significant fine. The SEC stated the fine was for “interrupting the competitive opportunity for both teams and endangering contest participants.” It also requires Texas to “use all available resources” including security, stadium, and television video to identify and ban the perpetrators who launched missiles onto the field for the remainder of the academic year.

Despite the outburst, the SEC said it would not suspend alcohol sales privileges for Texas but added the conference has the right to take further action to ban alcohol sales if their requirements fail to be fulfilled.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey gave a damning view of the behavior of fans and asserted that such scenes are not tolerated by the conference. “The throwing of debris and resulting interruption of play that took place Saturday night cannot be part of any SEC event,” he said.

Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns were dominated by the Bulldogs ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

Texas also took a dim view of the scenes, as the team had earlier issued an apology to Georgia, the game officials, and the SEC for the conduct of their fans.

A statement jointly signed by the Texas Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife, UT president Jay Hartzell, and athletic director Chris Del Conte read: “While we deeply appreciate the passion and loyalty of our fan base at The University of Texas at Austin, we do not condone the unsportsmanlike conduct that was exhibited by some individuals throwing objects onto the field during last night’s game and sincerely apologize to the University of Georgia players, coaches, and fans, as well as the Southeastern Conference and officiating crew. This type of behavior will not be tolerated.”

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledged the frustration of supporters but called for more order moving forward. “I understand the frustration,” Sarkisian said after the game. “We all were frustrated in the moment. But, you know… all of Longhorn Nation, I know we can be better than that.”