CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) – The Atlantic Coast Conference issued fines for the North Carolina and North Carolina State football programs due to a postgame altercation involving several players following Saturday’s game between both teams.
ACC officials announced Monday that both schools also received a “public reprimand” for the incident, which occurred after the Wolfpack’s 35-30 victory over the Tar Heels.
During the postgame celebration, one N.C. State player tried to plant a Wolfpack flag on the field at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, resulting in a fight breaking out amongst multiple players on both sides.
CBS 17 crews caught the altercation on camera as the brawl ensued.
ACC officials said the incident violated the conference’s sportsmanship policy.
“The unsportsmanlike behavior that was displayed is unacceptable and tarnishes the passionate on-field play between these institutions,” ACC leaders said in a released statement.
The funds from the imposed fines will be placed into the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship account. The exact fine amounts, which ACC officials described as the maximum allowed by the league’s bylaws, are not known.
“The ACC considers this matter closed and will have no further comment,” the statement continued.
On Sunday, N.C. State athletics director Boo Corrigan and UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham released the following joint statement regarding Saturday’s brawl:
We’re disappointed by the conduct of some members of our football programs at the conclusion of our game on Saturday at Kenan Stadium. While the game was emotional and the Carolina-NC State rivalry is intense, we must always display good sportsmanship and represent our universities and the Atlantic Coast Conference with respect. We will address this incident with our respective teams.
Other similar flag-planting celebrations caused controversy across the country on Saturday, including the Michigan-Ohio State and Florida-Florida State games. The incident at Ohio State ended with police using pepper spray to deescalate the conflict and separate the players.