Texas bans fan after viral confrontation with Florida football players

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte announced the university has permanently banned a fan from its football stadium following a viral video following the game against Florida.

The Longhorns suffered their second straight loss on the season on Saturday, Oct. 17 at home in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Shortly after the Gators’ 27-24 victory, a reporter on the field caught a Texas fan recording himself giving a middle finger gesture and yelling obscenities to Florida players. The players yelled back as Florida staff members held some of them back to prevent the situation from escalating further.

There was no reported fight that occurred in the postgame aftermath, as the video appeared to show a Texas staff member approach the fan.

The clip went viral on social media as people condemned the actions from the unnamed Texas fan, leading to Del Conte addressing the “unacceptable behavior” in his weekly “Forty Acres Insider” post on Texas’ athletic website on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

“We pride ourselves on sportsmanship and treating our opponents with respect. This individual’s actions did not reflect those values or meet our standards and will not be tolerated. The matter has been addressed internally, and I want to personally apologize to the University of Florida and its entire football program,” Del Conte wrote. “Having access to our field comes with a responsibility to represent Texas with class and respect. This individual failed to uphold that responsibility and has been permanently banned from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.”

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It’s not the first time Texas has apologized for fan actions during a football game. In 2024, a controversial pass interference call against Georgia led to fans throwing objects on the field, endangering the players and coaches. The call was later reversed in an infamous moment that drew anger from Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart.

The SEC fined the Longhorns $250,000 for the debacle and told Texas to identify fans who threw debris on the field and level punishments against them. However, no fans were ultimately punished.

“While we deeply appreciate the passion and loyalty of our fan base at The University of Texas at Austin, we do not condone the unsportsmanlike conduct that was exhibited by some individuals throwing objects onto the field during last night’s game and sincerely apologize to the University of Georgia players, coaches, and fans, as well as the Southeastern Conference and officiating crew,” Texas Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife, UT president Jay Hartzell and athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a joint statement.

Texas remains at home in Week 8, hosting Mississippi in a ranked SEC matchup.