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Number of Texas fans caught, punished for throwing bottles in Georgia game: Zero

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Number of Texas fans caught, punished for throwing bottles in Georgia game: Zero


AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The University of Texas investigation into the bottle-throwing incident that disrupted the Texas-Georgia game in October — and drew a harsh rebuke and fine from the Southeastern Conference — resulted in no one being caught or punished.


What You Need To Know

  • In a report to the league sent last month, Texas officials said a video review did not identify any of the culprits
  • Texas and Georgia meet again Saturday in the SEC championship game in Atlanta
  • Their first meeting in Austin, a 30-15 Georgia win, produced one of the most chaotic and controversial scenes of the college football season. Longhorns fans upset about a pass interference penalty pelted the field with debris and briefly stopped the game, giving the officials time to huddle and reverse the call
  • The incident drew a $250,000 fine from the SEC, which also threatened to ban alcohol sales at future games

In a report to the league sent last month, Texas officials said a video review did not identify any of the culprits.

Texas and Georgia meet again Saturday in the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Their first meeting in Austin, a 30-15 Georgia win, produced one of the most chaotic and controversial scenes of the college football season. Longhorns fans upset about a pass interference penalty pelted the field with debris and briefly stopped the game, giving the officials time to huddle and reverse the call.

The incident drew a $250,000 fine from the SEC, which also threatened to ban alcohol sales at future games. The SEC ordered the school to find those responsible and ban them from all athletic events for the rest of the school year.

In a Nov. 7 report to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said the school “reviewed all available video and other sources of information” to try to find the disruptive fans.

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“Despite our best effort, we have not been able to identify the individuals at issue. We will take action if new identifying information comes to light,” Del Conte wrote.

The school’s report was provided to The Associated Press this week. A university spokesman said he was unaware of any new information or punishments since it was sent to the SEC. Del Conte did not respond to a text message seeking comment.

Del Conte told the SEC that Texas has added additional security cameras and personnel to watch the student section, updated its sportsmanship and fan code of conduct policies, and created digital messaging to encourage good behavior.

“Respect, sportsmanship and fairness are values that drive us,” Del Conte wrote. “We expect fans to uphold these standards as well.”

The SEC did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

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The scene

Then-No. 1 Texas trailed No. 5 Georgia 23-7 when a pass interference call negated a Longhorns interception. Angry fans in or near the student section lobbed bottles and debris on the field and the game was halted for several minutes.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who at first was angry about the penalty, crossed the field to plead with the fans to stop throwing things while stadium crews cleaned up the mess.

The break gave the game officials time to reconsider and reverse the penalty, a decision that infuriated Georgia coach Kirby Smart. Texas then cut the Georgia lead to 23-15, before the Bulldogs later put together the game-clinching drive.

“I will say that now we’ve set 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,” Smart said after the game “That’s unfortunate because to me that’s dangerous.”

The response

Texas officials were embarrassed, and the SEC was angry.

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The league issued a statement that reversing the penalty was the correct decision, but condemned the bottle throwing. Critics wondered if similar scenes could happen again in the SEC or elsewhere, sarcastically noting the Texas slogan, “What starts here changes the world.”

The SEC ordered Texas to investigate using “all available resources, including security, stadium and television video, to identify individuals who threw objects onto the playing field or at the opposing team.” It told the school to report its findings to the league.

Texas President Jay Hartzell warned students the probe was coming. He said the incident had “embarrassed Longhorn Nation,” and agreed with the SEC’s demands to find those responsible.

“Those involved will have ramifications for their actions,” Del Conte wrote in an Oct. 22 message to students.

The investigation

The Texas football stadium has long had an emergency operations room where staff monitor live feeds from security cameras. In 2009, Texas invited the AP into the room where a reporter observed staff watching feeds from 43 cameras. They could see if fans were drinking alcohol (which was prohibited at the time) or disruptive, or take note of unattended bags.

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Fifteen years later, the report to the SEC said Texas could not identify anyone responsible for throwing debris.

The 10-page report includes a review of stadium policies and the administration’s statements to students. It includes only a single paragraph about the investigation efforts, which were led by Derek Trabon, director of the campus Office of Emergency Management. The probe included help from game operations staff and campus police.

The report offers no investigation details, such as how much video was reviewed, whether cameras caught fans throwing things, or if the school considered using facial recognition technology. The brief mention of the investigation does not explain why it was inconclusive.

“We take full accountability for the actions of our fans and reiterate our apology to the University of Georgia and the SEC,” Del Conte wrote.



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Austin, TX

Fire destroys abandoned E Austin auto shop

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Fire destroys abandoned E Austin auto shop


Austin firefighters battled their second major fire Thursday afternoon, responding to an abandoned East Austin auto shop engulfed in flames.

Crews responded to 3100 Manor Road around 4 p.m., AFD said.

No injuries were reported and no one was inside the building.

ALSO | 40+ residents displaced in North Austin third-alarm apartment fire, no injuries reported

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The incident was called in as a first alarm. The building is a total loss, according to officials.

CBS Austin has a crew on the way to the scene.

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Earlier in the afternoon, firefighters extinguished a three-alarm fire in north Austin.

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Austin, TX

Austin road rage suspect identified, charged with criminal mischief: affidavit

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Austin road rage suspect identified, charged with criminal mischief: affidavit


The suspect in a violent road rage incident on the Capital of Texas Highway has been identified and charged, according to court paperwork.

The altercation was caught on camera.

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What we know:

34-year-old Ian Kevin Brinkmeyer has been charged with criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor, in connection with the Dec. 5 incident.

At around 2 p.m. that day, officers responded to a call for service on Capital of Texas Highway, where they spoke with Brinkmeyer and another man.

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The affidavit says Brinkmeyer “engaged in a road rage” with the other man while traveling north on Capital of Texas Highway. Brinkmeyer drove around the other man, changed lanes in front of him and cut him off before stopping his car.

Brinkmeyer then allegedly got out of his vehicle holding a “steel knife sharpening rod”, walked over to the other man’s car and struck the driver’s side door window with the rod, shattering the entire window.

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The affidavit says Brinkmeyer then quickly walked back to his car and drove off.

The entire incident was caught on video by other drivers and posted on social media.

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The affidavit says that the repairs to the shattered window cost about $480, making this a case of criminal mischief with a value between $100 and $750.

What’s next:

A warrant has been issued for Brinkmeyer’s arrest. As of 12 p.m. Dec. 11, he is not in custody.

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The Source: Information in this report comes from court paperwork and previous reporting.

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Day Trips: Gifts From All Over Texas • The Austin Chronicle

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Day Trips: Gifts From All Over Texas • The Austin Chronicle


Holiday gift giving means it’s time for a road trip.

Maceo’s Spice & Import Company (maceospice.com) in Galveston is the perfect destination for the chefs and eaters on your list. Not only is the island city decorated for the holidays, but the 81-year-old specialty shop has an expansive selection of spices and hard-to-find imported foods. The house-made tomato gravy and pesto sauce are highly recommended. While you’re there, treat yourself to a muffaletta sandwich and a bowl of gumbo.  

If someone on your holiday gift list is a New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival fan, head to Santo at the intersection of I-20 and U.S. 281. Kennedy’s Sausage Hometown Market (kennedyssausagehtm.com) makes the original Crawfish Monica Sauce (minus the crawfish) from Jazz Fest. The market sells other frozen foods that can be found nowhere else except maybe their other store in Stephenville. 

At Santo you’re 16 miles south of Mineral Wells, so drive to the Crazy Water Company for a case of Texas’ original mineral water. 

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Any NPR listener would be proud to proclaim their support by wearing this unique t-shirt designed by the late West Texas artist Boyd Elder Credit: MPR

If you can’t make a road trip during the hectic days leading up to the holiday, then shop online. One of the pleasures of traveling Texas is finding the friendly voice of National Public Radio. Small radio stations were hit hard after the elimination of federal funding for public media. For instance, Marfa Public Radio lost a third of its funding. Consider making a gift to one of the 44 public stations in Texas in someone’s name. Or purchase a very cool T-shirt from Marfa Public Radio (marfapublicradio.org) as a way of making a donation.

Want a gift with staying power? Give a personalized brick to support the renovation of the historic Bolivar Point Lighthouse (bolivarpointlighthouse.org). The red brick with their name on it will be used as a paving stone at the lighthouse across the channel from Galveston.

Purchasing a customized brick for the 1872 Bolivar Point Lighthouse not only supports the renovation, but is the gift that keeps giving for years to come Credit: Gerald McLeod

Feliz Navidad, y’all. 


1,784th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

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