The Florida State University (FSU) Board of Trustees has unanimously voted to take legal action against the Athletic Coast Conference (ACC). In a historic move, FSU has filed a lawsuit challenging the ACC’s grant of rights and withdrawal penalties. This significant decision marks the first legal action against a college league’s grant of rights and places FSU in a unique legal position.
The lawsuit, filed formally in Tallahassee Circuit Court, alleges that the ACC breached its contract by failing to create appropriate media rights value and violated the state of Florida’s antitrust laws. The board chair, Peter Collins, emphasized that the university had exhausted all possible remedies within the conference and that the lawsuit was essential for FSU’s best interests in both the short and long term.
According to the 38-page lawsuit, FSU seeks a declaratory judgment against the ACC to void the grant of rights and withdrawal fee as “unreasonable restraints of trade in the state of Florida and not enforceable in their entirety against Florida State.” This legal challenge puts FSU at a crossroad in its relationship with the ACC and is a necessary first step to chart the university’s future and potential exit from the conference.
The ACC’s current media deal, as stated by FSU, has allegedly deprived schools of millions of dollars in annual revenues and has placed them behind other athletic conferences in sports and academics. The lawsuit is a result of FSU missing out on a bid to compete in the College Football Playoff and the university’s continual efforts to seek a better payout or potentially leave the ACC altogether.
This move by FSU’s board underscores a broader trend in the landscape of college athletics, where major programs are increasingly willing to change conferences in pursuit of more lucrative deals. This lawsuit could potentially pave the way for FSU to find a new conference home in the future.
The unanimous decision by FSU’s board to take legal action against the ACC reflects the university’s determination to prioritize its financial and competitive interests. This bold move sets a precedent for other universities in similar situations and showcases the growing complexities and tensions in collegiate athletic conference dynamics.
As FSU takes this crucial step towards potential independence from the ACC, the outcome of this legal battle could reshape the landscape of college athletics and have far-reaching implications for universities and sports conferences nationwide.
