ACC Fines Florida State $50K After Postgame Field Storming

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced that Florida State University has been fined $50,000 for a breach of the newly enacted event security policy following the 31-17 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The updated security policy was introduced in late July, applying to football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball for the 2025-26 academic year, designed to protect fans, players, coaches and staff. Under its new terms, storming the field after the game incurs a $50,000 fine for the first offense and escalates to $100,000 for a second offense and $200,000 for a third offense within two years, per school.

All collected funds from the fines will benefit the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Fund, which supports graduate-level opportunities for ACC student-athletes. FSU is the first school to be fined under the updated policy.

Compared to other conferences, the ACC’s rule is relatively modest. The Southeastern Conference enforces some of the strictest penalties for storming the field or court.

The SEC’s policy, adopted in 2004, fined schools $100,000 for their first offense and escalated the fine per offense. For the new 2025-26 season, the SEC replaced the escalating fines with a flat rate of $500,000 per incident.

The difference in scale of fines highlights the two conferences’ approach to crowd-control issues. The higher fines imposed by the SEC reflect its history of field-storming and intense rivalries that draw in immense crowds. In contrast, the ACC’s newly introduced policy introduces graduated penalties at a lower entry point.

Last season, the Florida State Seminoles suffered significant losses, finishing with a 2-10 overall record, their worst performance in decades. Florida State’s upset over Alabama had fans jumping over the railings and onto the field to celebrate the big win.

Currently, the team is facing serious off-field concerns. Freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard remains in critical but stable condition after being shot following a shooting incident unrelated to the game.

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Article by Ethan Gonzalez