University of Texas president delivers message to students on ‘profoundly disappointing moment’ vs. Georgia
Texas President Jay Hartzell released a statement to students after they threw debris onto the field amid the Longhorns’ loss to Georgia Saturday night.
The SEC already punished Texas after fans threw bottles and other debris onto the field. That levied a $250,000 penalty to the university.
The entire statement can be read below.
“Dear students,” the statement read in part. “In the midst of a special weekend for our University and Longhorn Nation, our football game against the University of Georgia was marred by a profoundly disappointing moment that had nothing to do with the outcome of the game. I am reaching out to all UT students to deliver a message that will be unwelcome to some, but necessary.
“Throwing debris onto the field for any reason, including expressing displeasure with an officiating call, poses a safety risk to everyone on the field and is entirely unacceptable behavior … This was only our third conference game as a new member of the SEC, so our fellow SEC institutions are just getting to know us. These actions made a bad early impression on Georgia and our new conference colleagues, and harmed your University’s reputation before a national audience.”
Texas fans began throwing trash on the field in the second half of the game. On the play that led to the incident, Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
However, it was called back due to a questionable defensive pass interference. That call was questionable enough that during the stoppage to clean up the field, referees got together and overturned the call, making the interception stand.
That came while Texas was trying to come back down 23-0 at the half, adding to the emotions and frustrations that fans were feeling.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian worked during the stoppage to get fans to stop throwing trash onto the field. He also helped to orchestrate a cleanup with various people who were already on the field so that play could continue as quickly as possible.
The incident was reminiscent of the one between Ole Miss and Tennessee in 2021. In that game, which was Lane Kiffin‘s return as a head coach to Neyland Stadium, fans threw debris like a mustard bottle, golf ball, and other trash onto the field when they were frustrated over a call. The SEC later fined Tennessee $250,000 for that incident. Tennessee itself went on to ban several fans.
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