Bell Tolls for Mississippi State

Southeastern Conference visiting teams tired of hearing the cowbells ringing at Mississippi State’s Scott Field can thank the SEC presidents if the bells are silent this fall. Conference presidents voted 11-1 to penalize the home team if fans use artificial noisemakers during games. Under the rule, the home school would be given a warning the first time, then penalized five yards for the second infraction and 15 yards for each additional infraction. The dissenting vote was cast by Mississippi State interim president Charles Lee, which makes sense because the rule was aimed directly at his school. The SEC already has a rule banning noisemakers in its stadiums, passed in the 1970s. It’s even printed on the ticket. Because Mississippi State gate security does not search every fan thoroughly as they enter Scott Field, some cowbells have been known to slip through. A few too many for the