Stephen A. Smith rips the ACC for fining FSU football after rushing the field

Florida State's wild victory against the Alabama Crimson Tide to open the 2025 season didn't come without a cost.

The Seminoles became the first program to be fined by the Atlantic Coast Conference following the implementation of new field/court rushing fields this summer. FSU will have to pay $50K due to not allowing officials and the Crimson Tide to exit Bobby Bowden Field before fans stormed the turf.

Not everyone is in agreement with the penalty.

Stephen A. Smith Calls Out ACC Over FSU Penalty

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith called out the ACC, questioning what the conference realistically expects someone to do when thousands of people begin jumping onto the field at once.

"I'm disgusted, I don't like it, and I know I'm in the minority," Smith said on First Take. "I know there's plenty of my colleagues and contemporaries who disagree with me and I don't give a damn. I don't like it all. 67,000 people showed up to that game. What are they supposed to do if the university can't have enough security?"

"You gonna wait to put 67,000 police officers out there? Who the hell can afford that? There's certain things that are just practical and there are certain things that are not," Smith continued. "You certainly can't help certain things and the students don't give a damn because the institution has to pay the fine but the students don't have to pay the fine."

Per the reinforced guidelines, schools will be docked $50K for the first offense, $100K for the second offense, and $200K for any further offenses.

The penalties will be accumulated over a two-year rolling period. That means if the Seminoles storm the Tucker Center in a few months, more fines will be rolling in for the athletics program.

"I know it's the first time in history that this happened with an ACC school," Smith said. "They're following the model of the SEC who would give a $100K fine to first-time offenses and it would go up from there. But I just think that this is utterly ridiculous."

Smith did make a good point. This is college football and the experience is nothing like a professional game.

Nothing is going to stop these moments from happening. What's most important is keeping everyone safe from players, coaches, officials, and spectators.

"The fan experience, this is college, and students live to be able to do this one day. Of course, you've got to be safe, of course you've got to prioritize safety for the players and the coaches," Smith said. "Well have enough police officers to surround them because there's nothing you can do if students decide to storm a field and then 67,000 strong or more.

"There's not enough police and law enforcement officials in the world to stop that and the students certainly are not going to do it. So fining the schools to me is just ridiculous. I don't understand it at all. I don't like it," Smith added. "Just surround the players and the coaches and protect them with law enforcement to escort them to the locker room and let the kids be on the field to celebrate."

"What you gon' do put 67,000 police officers out there? Who the hell can afford that?"@stephenasmith doesn't like that Florida St. got fined $50k for storming the field after beating Alabama. pic.twitter.com/6mVPVUUkv5
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 2, 2025

Florida State likely isn't complaining too much about writing a check, considering the historical scenes fans were treated to inside Doak Campbell Stadium.

The Seminoles will look to keep things going against East Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon.

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