Next time USC fans rush field or court would cost school $250,000

The next time Gamecocks fans rush the court or field while celebrating a South Carolina victory will cost the school $250,000.

New legislation at the SEC’s annual spring meetings significantly raised the fines to discourage such actions.

The first time an SEC school’s fan base violates the rule, the institution will now face a $50,000 fine, which is 10 times more than the previous penalty. The second offense carries a $100,000 fine, and any subsequent offense will result in a $250,000 fine.

USC already has two offenses, both at Colonial Life Arena against Kentucky: on March 1, 2014, when the Wildcats were ranked No. 17; and previously on Jan. 26, 2010, when UK was No. 1.

“So if it happens again, we would be subject to that third offense which is $250,000,” Jeff Davis, Associate Athletics Director for Operations and Facilities, told GamecocksOnline. “ The clock doesn’t ‘reset’ with this new set of fines. We don’t budget that sort of money just to lose it for excessive celebrations. So that would come out of operating funds, and would be a huge blow.”

For the last decade, the SEC had fined its schools $5,000, $25,000 and up to $50,000 for first, second and third offenses respectively. Nine of the SEC’s 14 schools have incurred fines since the original policy went into effect on Dec. 1, 2004, including South Carolina.

USC in 2014 was fined $25,000 for storming the court after the 72-67 win over Kentucky.

Read the full GamecocksOnline article here.

This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Next time USC fans rush field or court would cost school $250,000."