ACC commissioner Jim Phillips appears to have dug in on the ACC lawsuits with Clemson and FSU. There is no sign at this point that the ACC is anywhere close to thinking about settling these lawsuits. Depending on the ACC program you root for, you are either applauding this stance or really frustrated by it.
Either way, it leaves questions. His comments on the lawsuits are below.
Jim Phillips today was about as forceful as I can remember in his defense of the ACC, on the legal front. Multiple references to fighting. Said ACC is “a beautiful league.” Noted nobody questioned its TV deal in the moment.
Full comments on lawsuits with FSU/Clemson: https://t.co/qT40LI4lZW pic.twitter.com/8gwos9bRKp
— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) June 20, 2024
When the ACC got fleeced with the CFP payout, where was this posturing?
Where was this during the Florida State CFP snub, or during the struggle for NCAA men’s basketball bids?
In the last couple of years since Jim Phillips has been ACC Commissioner, where was this in trying to squeeze a renegotiated TV Deal with ESPN? Maybe will see something with the look in, but we haven’t yet.
In some ways, this is an even worse look for Phillips. It proves he can draw a line in the sand for what he is willing to stand up for and make public statements about it. There is even a coherent plan in place to fight the lawsuits against the ACC.
He can’t use the lawsuits as crutches either. The Big 12’s Brett Yormark made plans for the survival of the Big 12 even with the departure of Oklahoma and Texas already announced and well in progress. The ACC is not even at that point yet.
Phillips is always alluding to something in the works, but other than the addition of Stanford, Cal, and SMU have we seen anything anyone would consider proactive? Even that move was considered reactive by many, though I’m personally more positive on it.
Come on Jim bring the same passion and energy to anything else related to the ACC.
