Alabama says it has identified and “taken appropriate action” against the fan who shoved Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson in the helmet after the Bulldogs’ 20-17 win at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The university confirmed the move in a statement on Thursday, after video of the incident spread across social media.
It has not said what the action was.
The story matters now because it comes in the same week SEC commissioner Greg Sankey declined to address the officiating in that game. Together they have kept the October 10 meeting in Tuscaloosa in the news for days after the final whistle.
What happened after Georgia’s win in Tuscaloosa
The incident came after the Bulldogs beat the Crimson Tide in Week 6.
Video shot by 11Alive reporter Reggie Chatman Jr. shows the fan leaning over a barrier near the stands with a cup in his left hand. He slaps Wilson’s helmet twice, then shoves it, while shouting obscenities at the senior linebacker.
Wilson looked surprised but did not retaliate. He walked away.
In the clip, the fan tells him to “get out of here” as Wilson heads away from the stands and back toward the end zone.
The fan was not the only problem that night.
ESPN posted video of Alabama fans throwing objects onto the field as Georgia players headed into the visiting tunnel.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that some fans threw water bottles in reaction to the loss and the officiating.
Sports Illustrated’s Georgia site described it as
a small amount of drinks and debris thrown at Georgia players as they left the field.
Alabama’s statement and what it leaves open
The school’s statement was short.
Alabama said it had “identified and taken appropriate action against the individual involved in videos circulating on social media” and that it takes such matters seriously and will not tolerate the behavior.
That is all the public has so far.
Alabama did not say what action it took or whether the fan would be barred from future athletic events.
The fan has not been named in any of the reports reviewed. Whether the penalty is a stadium ban, a loss of season tickets or something else is unconfirmed.
The outlets did not all report where the statement first landed. Yahoo Sports said
the athletic department gave it to Al.com
, while 247Sports said
it was provided to the Tuscaloosa News.
The wording was identical in each case.
Raylen Wilson and Kirby Smart on the confrontation
Wilson addressed the moment on Instagram.
He said he first believed the man was a Georgia supporter.
That would explain why he did not react the way a player might to a stranger swinging at his helmet.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart picked up on that at his Monday press conference.
“You want people to make good decisions and do things the right way,” he said, adding that Wilson “certainly did there.”
Smart called it
disappointing behavior by any fan, and nothing Georgia condones, adding that he was sure Alabama doesn’t either.
Wilson is a 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior from Tallahassee, Florida.
He led Georgia with nine tackles in the win.
He had been in the Alabama backfield all night, which makes the walk to the tunnel an uncomfortable end to a strong game.
Why Alabama fans were angry about the officiating
The mood in the stands was shaped by a late no-call.
On the final possession, Georgia defensive back KJ Bolden hit Rico Scott on a play that Bolden himself acknowledged might have been pass interference. A flag would have given Alabama a key first down and moved it closer to the Georgia goal line.
Fanrecap’s account lists other complaints too.
It cites a clock problem late in the first half that went uncorrected, an interception ruling changed on replay despite what seemed a lack of overwhelming evidence, and a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Those are one outlet’s summary of fan grievances, and the conference has not confirmed any of them as errors.
None of that excuses a fan putting hands on an opposing player. It does explain why the crowd was hostile by the end of a three-point loss.
Greg Sankey explains why the SEC is staying quiet
Sankey was asked on Wednesday how the conference decides when to comment on officiating. He was speaking at the league’s basketball media days in Mountain Brook.
His answer was the standard one.
“We don’t comment on judgment calls,” he said.
He added that
the SEC will occasionally comment on errors in the application of rules, but not on judgment calls.
He also said tough calls are going to happen, that the league wants to get every one right, and that it is a dynamic game with 22 players.
Pass interference is a judgment call by nature. As Yahoo Sports columnist Michael Casagrande wrote,
it was either pass interference or it was not.
Casagrande also noted that
the SEC has admitted fault in public before, over its application of the “hideout rule” in Auburn’s loss at Oklahoma last fall.
That is the kind of rules error Sankey says the league will address.
Not everyone accepts the line. Yellowhammer News said Sankey’s refusal to criticize the officials
is only going to frustrate fans further.
That is the outlet’s opinion, not a finding. Even so, it reflects how many Alabama supporters took the answer.
What the fan incident means for Alabama and the SEC
Visiting players and fans in the same space is a long-running issue in college football, and it is usually handled by the home school. Alabama has done that here, publicly and quickly, in five days. The weak point is the lack of detail. A statement that names no penalty gives little warning to anyone thinking of doing the same.
For Georgia, the matter looks closed. Smart has said what he wanted to say, and Wilson has played down the shove. The Bulldogs have not asked for anything further, and the SEC has not announced any review of the fan incident.
The officiating dispute will last longer. Sankey’s position is that the league does not discuss individual judgment calls, so a statement on the Bolden hit is unlikely. Alabama can only live with the result. It lost 20-17 at home to a rival, and the no-call will be mentioned every time the two teams meet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Alabama fan who shoved Georgia’s Raylen Wilson get punished?
Alabama says it has taken “appropriate action” against him. The school has not said what that action was or whether he is banned from games.
Why did Raylen Wilson not react when the fan hit his helmet?
Wilson wrote on Instagram that he first thought the man was a Georgia fan trying to greet him. Kirby Smart said that probably shaped his initial reaction, and he praised Wilson’s decisions.
Will the SEC comment on the Alabama-Georgia pass interference no-call?
Probably not. Greg Sankey said the conference does not comment on judgment calls, though it will sometimes address errors in how a rule was applied.
Alabama’s next step is to say whether the fan faces a stadium ban, which would settle the main open question about the penalty. Any further word from the SEC on the Bolden play would be a surprise given Sankey’s remarks on Wednesday.
Sources: Yahoo Sports, 247Sports, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports (Sankey)
