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FSU petitions NCAA to reduce NIL penalties, Alex Atkins suspension

Florida State is looking to petition the NCAA to rescind penalties after NIL-related recruiting violations, as first reported by Yahoo Sports.

The incident happened in 2022 when a booster and an NIL representative for FSU offered a prospect to play for the school. FSU negotiated with the NCAA to resolve this issue in January.

According to the report, the three-page letter was sent to the chair and directors of the NCAA Division I Committee. The letter gave its plea on penalties that included imposed fines, scholarship reductions, recruiting restrictions, and the disassociation of a booster.

In a similar case, Tennessee was the first to file against the NCAA after the university violated its NIL rule. The states of Tennessee and Virginia filed an anti-trust suit, which resulted in the NCAA pausing its NIL case.

FSU agreed to a three-game suspension of assistant coach and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins. The resolution also included a disassociation from one of its booster-led collectives, two-year probation, financial penalties equal to 1 percent of its athletic department budget, limited scholarships and recruiting restrictions, which FSU has already served.

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football asks to reduce penalties from NIL recruiting violations