ACC Reportedly Has A New Plan To Get Florida State And Clemson To Drop Their Lawsuits After ESPN Extends TV Deal To 2036
Florida State and Clemson are still involved in a legal battle with the ACC stemming from their displeasure with the media rights deal the conference signed with ESPN. That contract has officially been extended to 2036, and it sounds like those parties are closing in on a settlement to put the matter to rest.
In 2023, Florida State decided to go scorched earth after failing to earn an invite to the College Football Playoff by filing a lawsuit against the ACC in what seemed to be the first major step in its attempt to leave the conference.
The fact that Jordan Travis was injured prior to the start of the College Football Playoff was arguably the biggest reason the Seminoles ended up on the outside looking in despite going 13-0 during the regular season, but the perceived weakness of their schedule thanks to the ACC teams that comprised the bulk of it was also cited as a notable factor.
Clemson ultimately followed in the footsteps of FSU with a lawsuit of its own as both schools attempted to wriggle out of the seemingly ironclad “grant of rights” the ACC signed with ESPN in 2016.
Their argument hinged on the belief they don’t receive the amount of money they think they deserve as two of the most historically talented and popular teams in the conference, and the bulk of the legal strategy focused on nullifying the hefty exit fee both schools would be forced to fork over if they departed for another conference (a penalty they’ve attempted to claim is unenforceable).
It also appears both schools overestimated how appealing they were to other conferences when you consider neither the Big Ten nor SEC didn’t exactly scramble to extend an invite when the legal battle began to unfold, although there’s no telling what conversations have transpired behind closed doors.
Florida State subsequently did the funniest thing possible by treating us to one of the most impressive collapses in college football history by going 2-10 in the season that transpired after they positioned themselves as one of the premier programs in the ACC. Clemson, on the other hand, finished with a 10-4 record and a one-and-done appearance in the CFP, so their stake to that particular claim is obviously a bit stronger.
The aforementioned deal with ESPN is set to expire in 2036, but it could have technically ended after the conclusion of the most recent college football season if the network declined to exercise the option to extend it to the full term. However, on Thursday, The Worldwide Leader unsurprisingly confirmed it will be doing exactly that.
That article also featured an interesting nugget of information, as the outlet reports “the ACC is now working toward a settlement with Clemson and Florida State” in the hopes of dismissing the lawsuits by developing “a new revenue distribution model” that would create a “brand fund” rewarding schools who generate the most revenue.
There is a slight twist, as the fund in question wouldn’t have anything to do with football but rather the ratings generated by men’s and women’s basketball teams (as ESPN notes, Miami and UNC would be beneficiaries on that front along with FSU and Clemson).
