Pat Haden Fined $25,000 for Actions During USC vs. Stanford

Pat Haden, the USC Athletics Director and a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee, was fined $25,000 by the Pac-12 for running onto the field to confront an official.

The actions occurred during a 13-10 Trojans win over Stanford on Saturday. ESPN's Brett McMurphy initially reported the news Monday. The Pac-12 Conference then released an official report on the punishment, along with comments from commissioner Larry Scott:

"The conduct by USC Athletics Director Pat Haden was inappropriate," Scott said. "Such actions by an administrator in attempt to influence the officiating, and ultimately the outcome of a contest, will not be tolerated."

Haden also commented on the penalty via his Twitter account:

"

I accept the @pac12 reprimand. I plan to pay the fine personally. To honor my 5-yr-old grandson who has autism, I have a special request...

— Pat Haden (@ADHadenUSC) September 8, 2014"

Here's a look at the confrontation, via SportsCenter:

Scott went on to mention Haden, 61, has issued an apology, which was passed along by Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. But that wasn't enough to avoid the punishment. 

College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock also issued a statement on the situation, per George Schroeder of USA Today:

One of the most notable components to Hancock's response was pointed out by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports:

In fact, following the disciplinary action, Dan Wolken of USA Today noted he believes the embattled should resign from the committee:

"

USC athletics director Pat Haden should resign from the College Football Playoff selection committee, and he should do it today. If he refuses, CFP executive director Bill Hancock should nudge him in that direction. And if Hancock doesn't want to go down that road, the 10 commissioners of the Football Bowl Subdivision conferences should intervene and demand a change.

"

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see the public reaction to both the fine and Haden remaining on the committee. With this being the first season for the new system, it is already under fire just two weeks into the season thanks to Haden's on-field incident.

As for USC, the team is now 2-0 and dealing with even more controversy. While it is proving it can be a force in the Pac-12, it will have to battle through even more negative headlines to remain in the running.

The Trojans face off against Boston College (1-1, 0-1 ACC) Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.