A student was arrested at the Memphis game for disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and possession of alcohol by a minor, contrary to national media claims that the student was arrested for carrying a state flag into the stadium.
According to a university press release, Dylan Wood had initially been contacted by security because he had a flag, which violates long-standing university rule first initiated in the 90s. Wood is an Associated Student Body senator.
This is not the first time flags have been confiscated from students this football season.
University police officers confiscated several flags and signs from spectators the against Alabama. Among these were signs displaying the words “Let The Band Play Dixie” as well as a large Mississippi flag, which bears the Confederate battle emblem. Although the incident gained attention on social media, it’s not the first time the university has enforced stadium banner and pole policies.
Among these policies are the rules that banners and poles are not permitted in the stadium, except for those approved by Ole Miss Event Management. Persons will be asked to leave the stadium if items that violate policy and have the potential to obstruct the views of others are not relinquished.
Senior associate athletics director Michael Thompson said this has been a stadium policy for years.
“It’s real simple,” Thompson said. “People pay a lot of money to watch a football game, and it’s not very good to have your view blocked.”
Sticks and poles, such as those that would be attached to a pompom or flag, were originally banned in 1997 under former Chancellor Robert Khayat. This was in an effort to prevent spectators from waving Confederate flags during football games.
Other items banned from the stadium include artificial noisemakers, backpacks, alcohol, umbrellas and video cameras. According to regulations, these are all prohibited for the overall enjoyment and safety of all spectators at games.
Stadium regulations say any signs larger than 8 ½ by 11 inches are not permissible. In an official list of stadium policies on OleMissSports.com, it states this rule is in place because “Ole Miss must ensure that it honors its corporate sponsors regarding signage in Vaught-Hemingway.”
