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. Late in the third quarter, a sizable number of our students endangered others and embarrassed Longhorn Nation by throwing bottles and trash onto the field. 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.
Our reputation that is typically characterized by sportsmanship and excellence took decades to build, but it can be materially tarnished in moments. There are similar lessons to learn from your time at UT that will serve you well after you graduate. We must take actions to protect the safety of others, as well as the hard-earned status we all enjoy as being part of this great institution.
Accordingly, this incident triggered several responses by University officials and the SEC. Earlier today, I issued a joint message with UT System Chairman Kevin Eltife and UT Director of Athletics Chris Del Conte to apologize to the University of Georgia, the SEC, and our entire fan base for this display of bad sportsmanship. In addition, I contacted the University of Georgia president to apologize directly for this regrettable incident. We will also have a $250,000 fine imposed by the SEC due to these actions.
The University of Texas will use all means available to identify those who threw debris on the field and revoke those students’ ticket privileges to all athletic events for the remainder of this academic year. While such a review is required under the penalties imposed by the SEC, we agree with that approach because it is the right thing to do. We have zero tolerance for behavior that is completely at odds with our University’s commitment to conduct ourselves as a community of responsible leaders.
At UT, we take great pride in doing the right thing and taking responsibility for our actions. We love the passion that sports evoke in our fans, but the combination of passion and frustration went too far in this instance. We have two more home football games to show that we know how to conduct ourselves in ways befitting one of the top universities in the country, and a member of the SEC. I expect all UT students to act accordingly out of respect for your classmates, your university, and Longhorns everywhere.
