SEC Fines Miss St. For Excessive Cowbell

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Mississippi State has a tradition where fans ring cowbells to cheer on their team. However, there are rules about where and when to ring. Fans are reminded to “ring responsibly” during games. They’re only allowed to ring at home games and only during pregame, timeouts, halftime and after the Bulldogs score. All other times, cowbells must remain silent.

But the Bulldogs misbehaved this season and now have to pay a $25,000 fine for defying the SEC’s Artificial Noisemaker Policy, conference commissioner Mike Slive announced Friday.

The SEC approved the use of artificial noisemakers at football games played on campuses whose teams use noisemakers as part of their school tradition. Under the policy, the school must submit a plan to Slive, explaining how they will use these props in compliance with SEC Bylaw 30.22.1.5.

According to the bylaw, violations “shall be evaluated following the season for the imposition of fines as follows: 1st offense: an institutional fine of $5,000; 2nd offense: an institutional fine of up to $25,000; 3rd or subsequent offense: an institutional fine of up to $50,000.”

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