CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – UPDATE
The University of Virginia is facing a $50,000 fine for Friday night’s field rush after the Cavaliers’ epic victory against Florida State
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Over the summer, the ACC instituted a new policy that fines schools for field and basketball court stormings. The updated event security policy, announced in July 2025 during the ACC Football Kickoff, applies to football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball for the 2025-26 academic year. All fines collected under the policy are directed to the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Fund, which benefits ACC student-athletes pursuing graduate education.
Video from ESPN and from social media shows fans rushing the field at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville after the Hokies’ historic win.
A spokesperson from UVA Health told WSLS, “We treated 19 people at UVA Medical Center.”
Witnesses also reported seeing at least one fan being taken off the field on a stretcher.
ORIGINAL STORY
When Tommy Castellanos’ last-ditch heave into the corner of the end zone was intercepted, his intended receiver, Squirrel White, lay on the turf. Instantly, Virginia fans standing just off the field, at the base of Scott Stadium’s grass hill, rushed the field, swarming and trampling White and each other.
The play sealed Virginia’s 46-38 double-overtime victory over No. 8 Florida State on Friday night. Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said he believed all of his players were unharmed.
“I’m not sure of any issues,” Norvell said. ”We got everybody in the locker room.”
Virginia coach Tony Elliott said he regretted being unable to speak to Norvell and some Florida State players after the game.
“I hope that nobody got injured,” Elliott said. ”You don’t want to see that. I hate that I didn’t get a chance to go shake Coach Norvell’s hand, because I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for him and what he’s done with that program.”
While no players or coaches were apparently injured, witnesses saw at least one fan being taken off the field on a stretcher and at least a dozen others being tended to by stadium personnel.
Over the summer the ACC instituted a new policy that fines schools for field and basketball court stormings. The first occurrence results in a $50,000 fine, the second $100,000 and the third offense or more over a two-year rolling period will be a $200,000 fine. All fines will be put into the conference’s postgraduate scholarship account.
The first conference school to be hit with a fine? That was Florida State after it opened the season with an upset of Alabama.
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