With many teams in the country receiving massive fines due to court-storming after upsets, Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne suggested an interesting fix to the problem.
Byrne took the fun out of one of college basketball’s best traditions by calling for teams whose fans storm the court to forfeit the game.
“I think from a safety standpoint, keeping people off the fields and courts is good for everybody involved,” Byrne said. “If we said that the home team, if they storm the field or the court, they’re going to lose the game right then and there, that will stop it.”
The ridiculous notion of forfeiting games upon court-storming isn’t the first time Byrne has made his stance known on the subject, as the Alabama AD also chose to go over the top, forcing his way into headlines everywhere after the “injury” to Duke’s Kyle Filipowski in 2023-24.
Filipowski went viral for flopping when making contact with a court-storming fan after losing to Wake Forest, which made the rounds all across social media. The action was used as a springboard for larger conversations regarding player safety, however, the video of Filipowski showed him not only throwing the first shot but extending both arms, which knocked the fan to the ground.
“I’m not overly optimistic and understand it’s not a popular opinion in a lot of people’s view,” Byrne continued. “I’ll get criticized for it, and that’s okay. I do believe in it. If somebody can come up with something that’s a better idea that does not include that, I’m all for it. I’m not saying that’s the only possible way. I’m convinced, in my own simple mind, that that would be something that would stop it.”
Byrne finished his thoughts by saying, “Let’s celebrate up in the stands. Let’s have a great environment. I’d even be fine if you say, let’s give it three minutes to get the team off the field. Then, if they want to come down and celebrate, great.”
Related: Kansas Guard Nick Timberlake Argues in Favor of Court-Storming
