CHARLOTTE — Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips announced a new rule Tuesday for football and basketball that could affect one of Clemson’s biggest traditions.

Commissioner Phillips said schools will be fined for court and field storming for players’ and coaches’ safety. This new rule could affect how Clemson conducts “Meeting at the Paw” which has been allowed at Clemson since Memorial Stadium was first built in 1942.

Fans at Clemson have always been allowed to go on the field, win or lose, after every home game at Memorial Stadium.

Phillips made this announcement during his Commissioner’s Forum to kick off ACC Football Kickoff (media days) at the Hilton Uptown in Charlotte.

The commissioner detailed the fine structure for schools violating the league’s new court and field storming rules: $50,000 first offense; $100,000 second offense; $200,000 third offense. The timeline for those fines will reset every two years. Those dollars will go to the ACC’s postgraduate scholarship fund.

“The plan may allow spectators to access the competition area, following a contest, but only after the visiting team and officials have safely exited the area,” Phillips said. “With the elevated safety expectations, it’s critical and there’s critical importance to ensure that adequate time for all members of the visiting team to safely leave the field of play.

“In addition to these elevated expectations, there is a corresponding fine structure in place. Should the school have a breach in this new policy? Similarly in the sports of football, men’s and women’s basketball as well as baseball, the ACC war will let a player of billability reporting policy for each conference game.

“In football, an institution will submit an availability report two days before each league game, updates one day before and game day. All submitted reports will be publicly available on the ACC.com. This decision is directly connected to our ongoing commitment to best protect our student athletes and our multifaceted approach to addressing the effects of sports wagering.

“In this case, it will alleviate pressure from entities or individuals who are involved in sports wagering that attempt to obtain inside information about availability from players, coaches, and other staff. Safety is always been taken seriously by this league, and I applaud our schools for further enhancing and formalizing these important measures.”

Clemson Athletics released a statement on Commissioner Phillips’ announcement of the the new rule.

“The ACC’s revised Sportsmanship policy provides an important framework for all institutions to evaluate and enhance their safety procedures for fans, teams, and game officials in line with other major conferences and venues. Clemson is in the process of finalizing our updated protocol in accordance with this policy. Our approach acknowledges the significance of Gathering at the Paw on Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium, and we intend to allow for its continuation once visiting teams and personnel have safely exited the field. We ask our fans for their cooperation in this matter beginning this fall.”