• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Clemson Files Lawsuit Against the ACC, Following FSU’s Lead

  • On Tuesday, Clemson filed a request for a court to rule on the legality of the ACC’s contracts binding it to the conference.
  • The ACC is now fully embroiled in a legal battle for its own survival.
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Unio / USA TODAY NETWORK

The ACC is now officially embroiled in a legal battle for its own survival: It faces multiple lawsuits from current members that could invalidate the very contracts binding the conference together. 

On Tuesday, Clemson filed a lawsuit against the ACC to ascertain whether the conference’s Grant of Rights (which binds schools to a conference for the lifespan of its media contract) is legally enforceable—and therefore whether Clemson must face a $140 million exit fee to leave the conference.

The news comes just a few months after Florida State filed a similar but more aggressive lawsuit in an attempt to depart the conference without paying the fee or violating the Grant of Rights contract. The ACC preemptively countersued, trying to assert that a different state court has jurisdiction over the case in the hopes that it will rule in the ACC’s favor. (A motion-to-dismiss hearing in that case will take place Friday.) ESPN, while neither a defendant nor a plaintiff in any of this litigation, is involved nonetheless given its assertion that court documents have illegally publicized private information related to media-rights agreements between the conference and network. (The Clemson complaint, reviewed by Front Office Sports, is heavily redacted—presumably to maintain the private nature of ESPN’s contract.)

Clemson’s lawsuit doesn’t allege the ACC committed the same level of negligence as FSU’s lawsuit does. But Clemson is arguing that if it leaves the conference before the Grant of Rights is up in 2036, the school can still retain rights to its games and theoretically bring them along to a new conference. This is exactly the outcome any Grant of Rights attempts to avoid by binding schools together through a media-rights contract, which they can leave only if they pay a punitive exit fee. Clemson holds that the $140 million exit fee, one of the largest in the country, is “unconscionable” and also legally unenforceable (even though Clemson signed on to a contract with that fee confirmed). Lastly, the school argues that no “fiduciary duties” are owed to the conference.

“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.

The main motivation for the litigation from both FSU and Clemson is conference realignment—and the pursuit of ever-growing media-rights contracts. Clemson specifically laments in court documents that the ACC is making millions less for its media contract than competitors like the Big Ten and SEC, and that the school should have the right to shop around and see whether it can find a more lucrative conference.

It appears that the ACC’s own comments, both in court documents in litigation against FSU and publicly, have also provided motivation for the lawsuit. “By espousing an inaccurate interpretation of the grant of rights agreements and allowing that interpretation to proliferate throughout the media, the ACC has cast a harmful cloud of doubt on Clemson’s ability to engage in meaningful discussions with other conferences and media providers regarding potential future collaborations and/or to negotiate alternative revenue sharing proposals among ACC members,” court documents say. “For Clemson to move ahead and ensure that it may continue to act in furtherance of its institutional mission, that cloud must be lifted.”

In a statement provided to FOS, the ACC said, “The ACC remains confident that its agreements with all its members will be affirmed by the courts. Clemson, along with all ACC members, voluntarily signed and re-signed the 2013 and 2016 Grant of Rights, which is binding through 2036. In addition, Clemson agreed to the process and procedures for withdrawal. The Conference’s legal counsel will vigorously enforce the agreement and bylaws in the best interests of the ACC’s current and incoming members.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

$3.8 Billion Commanders Stadium Deal Approved Despite Late Drama

A decisive final vote on the stadium followed some last-minute snags.

Netflix Boxing Ratings Spark New Fight Over Streaming Metrics

The streamer used a non-accredited process to measure the boxing match.
Donald Trump
exclusive

Trump’s Unprecedented Super Bowl Visit Cost Secret Service More Than $120K

Trump was the first president to attend the Super Bowl.

CFB TV Ratings Stay Hot As Georgia-Tennessee Sets ABC High of 12.6M

ABC has had four games that have topped 10 million viewers this season.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back AK Dear (0) tries to outrun Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite Vote Delay, SCORE Act Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

Political ad campaigns during college football Saturdays continue as well.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; New Mexico Lobos quarterback Jack Layne (2) reacts after his team scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA Paid New Mexico $1.2 Million for Friday’s Loss: Payout Game Tracker

The Bruins weren’t the only Power-4 school to lose a buy game and fire their coach.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
September 14, 2025

College Football’s Costly Start for Virginia Tech, UCLA: Coaches Out

UCLA and Virginia Tech fire their coaches while Notre Dame slumps badly.
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
September 11, 2025

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.
September 10, 2025

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.