CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The annual ACC Kickoff in uptown Charlotte started off with some poignant words from the commissioner Jim Phillips. As he enters his fourth full season leading the conference, he took time to address the elephant in the room-- the impending lawsuits between the conference and both Florida State and Clemson.
“I can say that we will fight to protect the ACC and our members for as long as it takes,” Phillips said during the opening forum Monday afternoon. “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, as well as overshadowing our student-athletes and the incredible successes taking place on the field and within the conference.”
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The Florida State and Clemson lawsuits are in connection with Grant of Rights as each institution is seeking and exit from the ACC, seeking a better financial fit in another conference with better television revenue.
“The fact is that every member of this conference willingly signed the Grant of Rights and unanimously, and quite frankly, eagerly agreed to our current television contract and the launch of the ACC Network. The ACC, our collective membership and conference office, deserves better. The support for our student-athletes, coaches and programs is extraordinary. That will continue despite these disruptions.”
Phillips also touched on revenue and how that looks in the new age of college athletics. The ACC expects to remain in the top three in the nation generating some $600 million dollars in incremental revenue now as an 18-member institution with Cal, Stanford and SMU now on board.