In the least shocking news you’ll read all day, Tennessee fans got pretty drunk during the 2021 football season.
With a 7-6 season that was mediocre at best, Vols fans everywhere had to get their frustrations out somehow, and they spared no expense when it came to buyin’ beer on Saturday’s to help ease the pain at Neyland Stadium.
The Tennessean reports that UT sold a whopping$2.67 MILLION in alcohol at football games last year. I hear ya, Vols fans. There were some tough times at Rocky Top, but none that garnered more attention than the game against Ole Miss and the return of former coach Lane Kiffin.
It came down to the final minute, with the Vols ultimately taking the L. After some controversy with the down conversions, they failed to score a touchdown in the last few seconds and let the time expire in a strange decision by backup QB Joe Milton III.
But, during that final minute, frustrated Vols fans began throwing debris on the field, causing the game to be delayed for 20 minutes and security personnel to clear the student section of Neyland Stadium.
The moment went viral, and was really just an embarrassing look for the entire fan base to say the least.
But, today we’re learning just how intoxicated most of those fans were… because at that one single game, UT sold 47,890 alcoholic beverages for $547,726 in revenue.
That’s the highest for a single game since UT started selling beer and wine at football games, and there were 18 arrests and 51 ejections during that game, too.
I’m sure knowing that Kiffin was coming back only added to the anxiety for Vols fans on game day, kinda like running into an old ex and drinking way more than you should to calm the nerves and not think too much about it.
Not that it’s any excuse for that kind of fan behavior, but Vols fans were hammered, and it showed.
I know, it’s hard to imagine a bunch of shit-faced frat boys throwing shit on the field after what had to have been an all-day drinking affair that included a rowdy tailgate, as well, but good Lord. All of the fans were on another level during this game.
The school was ultimately fined $250,000 by the SEC under its regulations of alcohol sales, but managed to avoid getting their alcohol sales suspended for the rest of the season because they conducted an internal review and were able to put precautions in place so it didn’t happen again… for whatever that’s worth.
And in case anyone needs a reminder of the insanity of that game… this is why you should always drink responsibly:
