ACC optimistic after FSU, Clemson cases

Amelia Island, Fla. — ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said Wednesday that the pending lawsuit involving Florida State and Clemson is “disruptive” and “hurtful” but that it hasn’t changed the dynamic between them as the league ends its three-day meeting.

Phillips and league representatives, including the athletic director, football coach and men’s and women’s basketball coaches, met to discuss a large list — including a possible settlement of the House v. NCAA lawsuit, CFP expansion, revenue distribution and shifting perceptions around. League

But with Florida State, Clemson and the ACC embroiled in lawsuits against each other over league withdrawal penalties and rights awards, uncertainty hangs around the league as it charts a new course with three new members joining in the fall. Cal, Stanford and SMU also participated in league meetings.

Phillips acknowledged what’s going on with Clemson and Florida State, saying, “It’s difficult, it’s disruptive, it’s hurtful, but it’s the world we live in. It hasn’t changed one bit about how we interact with them, and it shouldn’t.” “

It should be noted that Clemson and Florida State were full participants in the meetings over the past three days. Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said Tuesday that the meetings were “cordial.” Asked if their future in the league could be secured, Alford said, “We’ll just wait to play it out.”

Asked the same question Wednesday about securing a future with Florida State and Clemson in the league, Phillips said, “You have to stay optimistic and you work through these things. I don’t know where it’s going to go. But I’m going to keep going. About our league.” Be optimistic where that goes.”

Clemson and Florida State in particular have pointed to a growing revenue gap with the Big Ten and the SEC as their future in the league is tenuous. But Phillips said the ACC has worked to address these issues with the ACC Network’s full distribution and field success initiatives.

“If we’re chasing money, we’re chasing money,” Phillips said. “But I believe we’re also chasing success. And so if it’s just a money issue, which nobody can show me that money equals success, maybe you can show me some examples, but I can also show you some examples, where Some of the low-income schools have done really well on the national scene.”

That revenue gap will widen further in the expanded 12-team CFP, with the SEC and Big Ten set to earn a larger share of that revenue pie. North Carolina coach Mack Brown said Tuesday he’s “disappointed” the money won’t be distributed equally.

Phillips said Wednesday when the final breakdown on CFP attendance was done, the ACC slotted between 17 and 18%.

“I felt like I had a tough discussion, just like every conference, and we got to a point where at the end of the day, ‘Do you like it?’ You don’t like it, but it’s definitely better than where we started, and it’s a lot more than the CFP dollar, but again, I understand it makes more of a difference.”

Phillips said it was essential to have multiple teams in the CFP and talked about trying to change the perception around the way the league performed in football.

“We have to try to change that, and we’re determined to do it,” he said.

Regarding settlement negotiations in House v. NCAA, Phillips said he couldn’t get into specifics because so many unknowns remain about what the final dollars will be. But ACC presidents and chancellors will discuss the matter further at their spring meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, next week.

He also noted that the league has been able to find success across the board with five national titles so far this athletics season and doesn’t want to be overshadowed by what’s going on in courtrooms across three states.

“These cases are going to take some time,” Phillips said. “We have to work through them. We have 10,000 student-athletes who are doing really well who are performing at the highest level. I hope we don’t lose sight while all of this is going on, the conference will continue. We’ll manage what we have to manage. .”