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No, WSU was not fined for storming the field

Dozens of people donated to pay a fine that didn’t exist.

NCAA Football: Boise State at Washington State James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

After their amazing triple overtime comeback win over Boise State on Saturday, hundreds of excited Washington State students flooded on to the field to celebrate their team’s 2-0 start.

Some people thought it was fitting of such an improbable comeback. Other thought that rushing the field in a game you favored in was too much. But, in the end, it was just a bunch of college kids having fun after witnessing a once in a lifetime event.

But once the field cleared and the fog had settled on the win, some people started to worry about the repercussions of the celebration. Last May, the Pac-12 announced that fans who rush the field or court at a conference game will cost their school a $25,000 fine for a first offense, with the payout only going up for each instance after that.

Without any notice of a fine actually being levied, a group of Cougar fans jumped into action. One fan from Olympia started a GoFundMe to help pay the “WSU’s Asinine Pac 12 Fine.”

The PAC 12 Conference has fined Washington State University $25,000 because students and other fans rushed onto the field to celebrate WSU's improbable comeback win over Boise State last Saturday. I'm hopeful that the faithful WSU students and fans around the world will assist in helping me gather the needed funds to defray the costs to the athletic program caused by this absolutely ridiculous fine. I'm starting with a donation of $25. Please give as much as you can afford! If we all pitch in, we should get there in no time. Let's show our Cougar spirit in sticking it to the PAC 12 party poopers.

In the end, 53 people donated more than $700 to the cause.

Not so fast, guys.

As it turns out, despite the emphatic statement on the GoFundMe page, the school actually has not been fined for rushing the field.

So, as it turns out, the annoying final review of Jamal Morrow’s touchdown actually helped the Cougs.

In the end, the guy that started the GoFundMe closed the campaign once news of the non-fine came out. He also says that everyone will be refunded in full.

This campaign has been deactivated and all donors should have already received an email notice of their refund. If you have not, please private message me on Facebook and I will follow up with you.

If you want even more ranting about the GoFundMe page, check out this week’s edition of the CougCenter Hour with Michael Preston.

Football

Washington State not fined by Pac-12, but fans still kicking money to GoFundMe account | The Spokesman-Review
The Pac-12 Conference has chosen not to levy a fine against Washington State for the field rush that followed Saturday’s triple-overtime win at Martin Stadium, though some fans are under the impression that the school did get popped for $25,000 – and a number of them are willing to help cover the alleged “fine.”

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