ACC reportedly considers plan that could give FSU, Clemson more money, resolve lawsuits

Four days after Florida State President Richard McCullough hinted that the university might be in negotiations with the Atlantic Coast Conference, more details came to light about the development Tuesday evening.

According to a report from Yahoo college football reporter Ross Dellenger, the ACC’s presidents have been presented with a proposal that could lead to larger annual payouts to Florida State and Clemson in exchange for resolving the conference’s legal battles with both schools.

If approved, the deal could lead to FSU and Clemson staying put, at least for the time being.

“Nothing is imminent and particulars of the deal remain mostly private, but the structure’s ultimate goal is to resolve a dispute with the Tigers and Seminoles, both suing the conference in an attempt to exit the league,” Dellenger wrote. “Discussions among league presidents are ongoing and expected to continue.”

The additional money would be based on television rating metrics, which is something Florida State has long argued would be more equitable than splitting media revenue evenly between member schools. That approach would likely lead to much larger annual payouts for both the Seminoles and Tigers.

FSU routinely is among the biggest TV draws among college football powers around the country.

“At the end of the day, we are worth more than we are getting paid — a lot more than we are getting paid,” Florida State Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins said this summer during an appearance at the Capital Tiger Bay Club. “And I would challenge anybody to tell me that we’re not. To tell me that we’re worth the same amount as some of the other schools in the conference, from a media standpoint. …

“I think our ultimate goal is to get paid for what we’re worth. And I’ll leave it at that.”

ACC schools have been receiving smaller annual TV payouts than their counterparts in the SEC and Big Ten for a decade or more, but those disparities are expected to soon rise to at least $30 million to $40 million per school, per year.

FSU officials have said that disparity will make it impossible for the Seminoles to compete at the highest levels in football and all sports across the board.

Florida State filed a lawsuit in Leon County against the ACC in late December, seeking to leave the conference without having to pay more than $500 million in exit fees and penalties for breaking the conference’s long-term Grant of Rights. Clemson filed a similar lawsuit in South Carolina earlier this year, and the ACC is suing both schools in North Carolina.

With his league facing an apparent existential crisis, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips struck a defiant tone at the ACC Kickoff event in July, stating that he and the conference presidents were determined to battle both schools as long as necessary.

“We’re going to do everything we can to fight and protect the league,” Phillips said.

Dellenger wrote that the proposed agreement likely would be a, “temporary solution.” It could keep the ACC together for the foreseeable future, and it could give Florida State and Clemson additional revenue while they determine their long-term prospects.

“Along with the new revenue structure, leaders are examining amending the length of the league’s grant of rights, the binding agreement at the center of lawsuits from the Seminoles and Tigers,” according to the Yahoo article. “The ACC grant of rights, binding the schools together through 2036, would presumably be shortened.”

During his remarks to the FSU Board of Trustees on Friday, McCullough suggested that the university was in potentially positive talks with the conference.

“We underwent court-ordered mediation with the ACC, and we continue to have an open dialogue with the ACC, and all of that is good,” he said.

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