Mark Pope fined $25k for criticizing officiating at Auburn

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Kentucky head coach Mark Pope was fined $25,000 for comments in which he criticized a late call made by officials following Saturday’s loss to Auburn.

On Tuesday, the SEC released a statement saying, “The comments violated SEC Bylaw 105.3 (Sportsmanship) and the SEC Commissioner’s Regulation regarding Public Criticism of Officials, which prohibit coaches, student-athletes, and institutional staff from publicly criticizing officials or disclosing officiating-related communications.”

Pope did not publicly criticize the officiating during his press conference, but he could be heard afterward saying, “I didn’t say a word about how they cheated us.”