The awkwardness of the authorized battle between the Atlantic Coast Convention and member faculties Clemson and Florida State continues to simmer with the 2024 season simply a couple of month away.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips pledged the day-to-day operations stay enterprise as regular whereas additionally insisting the league will aggressively combat the lawsuits from the 2 faculties over withdrawal penalties and the grant of media rights deal that runs by means of 2036.
The ACC beforehand filed its personal countersuit in opposition to the colleges.
“I can state that we are going to combat to guard the ACC and our members for so long as it takes,” Phillips mentioned on the ACC Kickoff on Monday in Charlotte, N.C. “We’re assured on this league and that it’s going to stay a premier convention in faculty athletics for the long-term future. These disputes proceed to be extraordinarily damaging, disruptive and extremely dangerous to the league.”
Florida State filed its swimsuit in December and Clemson adopted with its personal in March.
The Seminoles alleged “years of mismanagement” by the ACC and likewise challenged the league’s “draconian” withdrawal penalties. Clemson had related grudges in opposition to the withdrawal course of and the grant of media rights.
Phillips was fast to remind the assembled media on Monday that each Clemson and Florida State signed the rights’ settlement in each 2013 and 2016.
“Fairly frankly, (the colleges) eagerly agreed to our present tv contract and the launch of the ACC Community,” Phillips mentioned. “The ACC, our collective membership and convention workplace deserves higher.”
Whereas saying it does not should be an “evil” scenario, Phillips made it clear that the general plight of the convention issues greater than any particular person establishments.
“Forceful moments deserve forceful assist and management,” Phillips mentioned. “I do not know that I’ve modified in any respect, apart from I stand by the whole lot I’ve mentioned. … Both you imagine in what’s been signed or you do not. We will do the whole lot we will to guard the league.
“This has been a league that began method earlier than me — 71 years in the past — and will probably be a league round a very long time after I depart.”
The ACC will characteristic 17 packages this soccer season after Cal and Stanford joined from the Pac-12 and SMU moved from the American Athletic Convention.
–Subject Degree Media
