ACC boss Jim Phillips: We will battle fits from Florida State, Clemson

The awkwardness of the legal battle between the Atlantic Coast Conference and member schools Clemson and Florida State continues to simmer with the 2024 season just more than one month away.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips pledged the day-to-day operations remain business as usual while also insisting the league will aggressively fight the lawsuits from the two schools over withdrawal penalties and the grant of media rights deal that runs through 2036.

The ACC previously filed its own countersuit against the schools.

“I can state that we will fight to protect the ACC and our members for as long as it takes,” Phillips said at the ACC Kickoff on Monday in Charlotte, N.C. “We are confident in this league and that it will remain a premier conference in college athletics for the long-term future. These disputes continue to be extremely damaging, disruptive and incredibly harmful to the league.”

Florida State filed its suit in December and Clemson followed with its own in March.

The Seminoles alleged “years of mismanagement” by the ACC and also challenged the league’s “draconian” withdrawal penalties. Clemson had similar grudges against the withdrawal process and the grant of media rights.

Phillips was quick to remind the assembled media on Monday that both Clemson and Florida State signed the rights’ agreement in both 2013 and 2016.

“Quite frankly, (the schools) eagerly agreed to our current television contract and the launch of the ACC Network,” Phillips said. “The ACC, our collective membership and conference office deserves better.”

While saying it doesn’t have to be an “evil” situation, Phillips made it clear that the overall plight of the conference matters more than any individual institutions.

“Forceful moments deserve forceful support and leadership,” Phillips said. “I don’t know that I’ve changed at all, other than I stand by everything I’ve said. … Either you believe in what’s been signed or you don’t. We’re going to do everything we can to protect the league.

“This has been a league that started way before me — 71 years ago — and will be a league around a long time after I depart.”

The ACC will feature 17 programs this football season after Cal and Stanford joined from the Pac-12 and SMU moved from the American Athletic Conference.

–Field Level Media