Remember the viral videos of the goalposts at Neyland Stadium being triumphantly carried out of the stadium (and later thrown in the river) by fans who had just stormed the field following the Vols dramatic 52-49 win over Alabama last October?
The Vols were hit with a $100,000 fine due a "second offense under the league's access to competition area policy," the first of which happened after Tennessee upset Florida at home in basketball back in 2006.
Video of UT president Randy Boyd being asked how much the storming of the field and goalpost replacement was going to cost the school went viral after the football win last fall, and he nonchalantly answered, "It doesn't matter. We'll do this every year," with a cigar in hand watching it unfold from the comfort of his stadium suite.
UT President Randy Boyd regarding the goal posts pic.twitter.com/k8JfsYHnfz
— Hanes Torbett (@Tarheelbb) October 16, 2022
In an era where revenue is at an all-time high, high level decision makers in the SEC believe that sentiment's like Boyd's aren't uncommon at all, and it seems clear that the fines aren't the deterrent the league had originally hoped for.
If the SEC has their way, some much steeper punishment could be on the way for the tradition that many consider a vital fabric of the college athletics experience.
According to Pat Forde, "safety concerns" are at the forefront of the conference's conversations about making the discipline for storming the field or court much harsher.
The Sports Illustrated piece adds that a conference working group on event safety was formed by commissioner Greg Sankey last November, just weeks after Tennessee's field storming, that consists of Alabama AD Greg Byrne, Georgia AD Josh Brooks and Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart.
Among the suggestions on the table is a loss of a future home SEC game.
For example, in the case of Tennessee vs. Alabama, the Vols would play their regularly scheduled 2023 game at Alabama, and then lose their 2024 home game and instead would have to play the Crimson Tide on the road in 2024 and again in 2025, marking a three-year stretch of having to play Nick Saban and Alabama at their place as a disciplinary measure.
Of course, it goes without saying that the loss of a home game like that would deliver a much more substantial financial blow than a fine of $100k, as the ticket sales, concessions, and economic impact would be far greater than the fine.
The league is also reportedly considering a forfeit of the game in which the storming of the field occurred as well, which surely will face considerable criticism among the athletic directors involved.
These, and other options are set to go up for discussion among SEC athletic directors soon, before the SEC spring meetings that involve both ADs and chancellors down in Destin in late May into early June.
Forde adds that approved changes could be set into motion for the 2023-24 season.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.