THE University of Texas was embarrassed in multiple ways against Georgia this weekend.
No. 1 Texas was taken down by No. 5 Georgia this weekend, and some fans couldn’t handle watching their team lose.
The University of Texas lost to Georgia on Saturday[/caption]
Texas fans threw trash on the field after a penalty call in the third quarter[/caption]
After a call was made against Texas late in the third quarter, longhorn fans started throwing trash onto the field in the direction of players.
Eventually, during the commotion, the referees reversed the call on the field, which Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said set a “precedent.”
“I won’t comment because I want to respect the wishes of the SEC office,” Smart said.
“But I will say now we have a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, that you’ve got a chance to get your call reversed.”
The SEC confirmed in a statement that it was the correct call to pick up the flag, but condemned Texas fans for their reaction.
“While the original evaluation and assessment of the penalty was not properly executed, it is unacceptable to have debris thrown on the field at any time,” the league said.
Texas is being fined $250,000 because of the incident and must use its resources to track down students who threw trash on the field to suspend them.
The school is also at risk of having alcohol sales suspended at their stadium.
After the fallout from the incident, Texas president Jay Hartzell sent a scathing letter to students at the University..
“I am reaching out to all UT students to deliver a message that will be unwelcome to some, but necessary,” the letter read.
“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.”
Even famous Texas fan Matthew McConaughey released a statement to Longhorn fans about their behavior.
Texas’ letter to fans
Texas president Jay Hartzell was forced to release this letter to students after the trash-throwing incident:
Dear students,
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.
Sincerely yours,
Jay Hartzell
President
“First off, you were electric Saturday night when we hosted Georgia. Bravo. Let’s continue to bring it. Even though our Horns didn’t get the W, you created a measurable home-field advantage,” he wrote.
“But let’s get real about the bottle bombing the field glitch we had. Not cool.
“Bogey move. Yeah, that call was BS, but we’re better than that.
“Longhorn Nation knows how to show up, show out like no other, and still keep our class.
“So, going forward, let’s clean that kind of BS up and leave that behind us for good. We have to shake hands on that.”
Texas faces off in another SEC matchup against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Texas was hit with massive fines and other reprimands for the incident[/caption]
