AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said Wednesday that pending litigation with Florida State and Clemson is “disturbing” and “harmful” but hasn't changed the dynamic between them as the league wrapped up three days of meetings.
Phillips and league representatives, including athletic directors, football coaches, and men's and women's basketball coaches, met to discuss a long list of issues, including a possible settlement in the House vs. NCAA, the expansion of the CFP, revenue distribution and the changing perception around the league.
But with Florida State, Clemson and the ACC involved in lawsuits against each other over the league's withdrawal penalty and vesting, uncertainty continues to hang over the league as it charts a new course with the addition of three new members in the fall. Cal, Stanford and SMU also participated in the league meetings.
Phillips acknowledged what's still ongoing with Clemson and Florida State, saying, “It's difficult, it's disruptive, it's harmful, but that's the world we live in. It hasn't changed one bit how we've interacted with them and should not “.
It should be noted that Clemson and Florida State participated fully in the meetings over the past three days. Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said Tuesday that the meetings were “cordial.” When asked if his future in the league could be saved, Alford said, “We'll just wait for that to happen.”
When asked the same question Wednesday about how to salvage a future with Florida State and Clemson in the league, Phillips said, “You've got to stay optimistic and work on these things. I don't know where it's going to go. But I'll continue.” Stay optimistic about our league…and I will never change until someone else tells me otherwise. Am I going to fight and protect the ACC? Absolutely, that is my responsibility. where are you going.”
Clemson and Florida State have specifically pointed to a growing revenue gap with the Big Ten and SEC as reasons why their future in the league is unsustainable. But Phillips said the ACC has worked to address those issues, including fully deploying the ACC Network and successful initiatives that reward success on the field.
“If we're chasing money, then we're chasing money,” Phillips said. “But I think we're also trying to chase success. And if it's just a matter of money, and no one can show me that money equals success, maybe you can show me some examples, but I can show you some examples too.” where schools have done very well on the national stage with less income.
That revenue gap will grow even larger in the expanded 12-team CFP, with the SEC and Big Ten gaining a larger share of that revenue pie. North Carolina coach Mack Brown said Tuesday that he was “disappointed” that the money will not be distributed equitably.
Phillips said Wednesday that when the final breakdown was made on CFP appearances, the ACC scored between 17 and 18%.
“I felt like I negotiated hard, like I did every conference, and we got to a point where at the end of the day, 'Do you love it?' You don't love it, but it was certainly better than when we started, and it's more than we've ever had relative to CFP dollars. But again I understand that it causes an even bigger gap.”
Phillips said it was imperative to include more than one team in the CFP and talked about trying to change the perception of how the league has performed in football.
“We have to try to change that and we are determined to do it,” he said.
Regarding the talks to reach an agreement in House vs. NCAA, Phillips said he couldn't go into details because there remain many unknowns about what the final dollars will look like. But ACC presidents and chancellors will meet next week in Charlotte, North Carolina, at their spring meetings to further discuss the issue.
He also noted that the league has achieved success across the board, with five national titles so far this track season, and doesn't want that to be overshadowed by what's unfolding in the courts of three states.
“These cases are going to take a little time,” Phillips said. “We're going to have to work through them. We have 10,000 student-athletes who are doing really well and who are performing at the highest level. I hope we don't lose sight of them while all this is happening, the conference continues to do very well. We will manage what we have to manage.”
