CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson sued the Atlantic Coast Conference in a South Carolina court on Tuesday, joining Florida State in challenging the league’s right to charge schools hundreds of millions of dollars to leave.
The complaint filed in Pickens County says the ACC’s “exorbitant $140 million” exit penalty and the grant of rights used to bind schools to a conference through their media rights should be struck down by the court.
“Each of these erroneous assertions separately hinders Clemson’s ability to meaningfully explore its options regarding conference membership, to negotiate alternative revenue-sharing proposals among ACC members and to obtain full value for its future media rights,” the school said.
Clemson wants the court to rule that the ACC does not have any rights to Clemson games if the Tigers were to leave the SEC, that the exit fee can’t be enforced, and that the school wouldn’t have any financial obligation to the conference if it left.
“Without clarity as to its legal rights and obligations, Clemson cannot protect and advance its interests, or the interests of its athletes, in current and ongoing negotiations within the Conference, with the Conference’s existing media partner ESPN, and in collegiate athletics more generally,” Clemson writes in the lawsuit.
The college football landscape has rapidly changed in recent years, with football leading to major realignment. This coming year, the SEC gains Texas and Oklahoma, while the Big 10 adds Southern Cal, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington. With the demise of the Pac 12, several of their remaining teams that didn’t go to the Big 10 went to the Big 12, while two (Stanford and Cal) are coming to the ACC. Washington State and Oregon State, however, were left out, however, and will affiliate, but not join, the West Coast Conference.
In December, Florida State’s board of trustees sued the ACC in Florida, making similar claims. The ACC pre-emptively filed a lawsuit against Florida State in North Carolina, where the conference offices are located, saying the school’s actions were a breach of contract.
The first hearing in the North Carolina case is schedule for Friday.