ACC fines Florida State $20,000 after Fisher rips officials

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference has fined Florida State $20,000 after football coach Jimbo Fisher made remarks criticizing officials after Saturday night’s game against No. 3 Clemson.

Fisher, who was also publicly reprimanded by the conference, was livid over three fourth-quarter calls in the 19th-ranked Seminoles’ 37-34 loss. There was a chop block on Freddie Stevenson that negated a long run by Dalvin Cook and a subsequent unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the bench following that play.

Fisher also wasn’t pleased over a targeting penalty that led to the ejection of safety Tre Marshall. The ejection also means that Marshall will miss the first half of this week’s game against North Carolina State.

“It was ridiculous. It was not a chop. I will tell you what, you hold coaches accountable, you hold players accountable, hold the damn officials accountable,” Fisher said. “It is garbage and then to call another penalty on the sideline is even more garbage. It’s cowardly, gutless and wrong. They can fine it or do whatever they want to do with it.

“That is a fact, look at the film. It is ridiculous that they do that. That was a huge call in the game. We still had chances in the game to win after that, but it is ridiculous.”

Fisher wasn’t the only coach to be reprimanded by the conference on Sunday. Pittsburgh received a $5,000 fine and coach Pat Narduzzi was reprimanded for his comments following the Panthers’ 39-36 loss to No. 23 Virginia Tech.

“They did a great job pushing off all night,” Narduzzi said about Virginia Tech receivers getting position on alley-oop passes from Jerod Evans. “Give them credit for that.”