University of Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne offered a different approach for schools whose teams burst onto the court or field after a big upset: Go for their win-loss record.
Immediately after Duke star Kyle Filipowski sprained his ankle as Wake Forest fans stormed the field after the win over the weekend, Byrne suggested Monday that losses could be the way to stop the action.
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Greg Byrne of the University of Alabama works during the Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Picks held at the Carmichael Hotel on March 8, 2023 in Carmel, Indiana. (Photos by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA via Getty Images)
“Kids aren't going to be in the stands saying, 'Oh, I don't want to do this because the school is going to get fined $200,000,'” Byrne said at the Birmingham Tip Off Club, via AL.com. “That doesn't enter into their thinking. But if they knew the game they just participated in, they celebrated a big victory that led to that, if they knew they were going to lose that game immediately, that would stop them.”
Byrne noted an incident in which one of the school's student directors thought he was going to “lose an eye” after being injured in a courthouse assault.
He said something more needed to be done.
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Tennessee fans storm the field and celebrate the next game against Alabama at Neyland Stadium. (Carlos M. Saavedra/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The SEC has rules if school fans storm the court. A first violation carries a fine of $100,000. The second time it's $250,000. A third time carries a penalty of half a million dollars.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips addressed the incident Saturday after the Duke-Wake Forest game.
“Across college athletics, we have seen too many of these incidents that put people at serious risk, and it will take the cooperation of everyone, including spectators, to ensure everyone's well-being,” Phillips said in a statement.
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Wake Forest's Cameron Hildreth (2) drives to the basket as fans storm the court at the end of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
“As a conference, we will continually evaluate with our schools how best to protect our student-athletes, coaches and fans.”
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