After nearly two years of infighting, litigation involving Florida State, Clemson and the Atlantic Coast Conference is finally over.
The three sides filed to dismiss cases against one another on Tuesday, ending more than 17 months of legal battles in three different states.
The two schools and the conference approved the settlement’s terms in March, which clarified if and when Florida State and Clemson — or any other ACC member — could leave the conference.
Among the terms of the settlement, schools would keep their own TV rights as opposed to the league. On top of that, per a presentation to Clemson trustees in March, exit fees would drop annually from $165 million in fiscal year 2026 to around $75 million in 2030-31.
Florida State first sued the ACC in December 2023 (in Florida, of course) followed by Clemson (in South Carolina) as the two schools explored joining a different conference. There were growing concerns that league revenues were falling behind those of the SEC and Big Ten, not to mention the ACC falling behind competitively relative to other conferences.
The Charlotte-based ACC, in turn, filed lawsuits in North Carolina against Florida State and Clemson as it looked to enforce the “Grant of Rights” agreements and the league’s exit penalties.
The March settlement agreement also created a new avenue for the ACC to share revenue with its members as about 60 percent of conference payouts would be distributed based on TV viewership of football and men’s basketball.
“Today’s resolution begins the next chapter of this storied league and further solidifies the ACC as a premier conference,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement at the time. “As we look ahead to our collective long-term future, I want to express my deepest appreciation to the ACC Board of Directors for its ongoing leadership, patience and dedication throughout this process.
“The league has competed at the highest level for more than 70 years and this new structure demonstrates the ACC embracing innovation and further incentivizing our membership based on competition and viewership results. The settlements, coupled with the ACC’s continued partnership with ESPN, allow us to focus on our collective future — including Clemson and Florida State — united in an 18-member conference demonstrating the best in intercollegiate athletics.”
–Field Level Media
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