Florida State, Still Suing ACC, Claims It Never Wanted to Leave

Florida State’s athletic director claimed Wednesday that the Seminoles never expressed interest in leaving the ACC, despite an ongoing lawsuit that explicitly says otherwise.

“We’re in the league the last time I looked,” FSU’s Mike Alford said. “We never said we wanted to leave the league.” 

In a complaint filed against the ACC in December 2023, that’s exactly what the Seminoles said. 

In 2013, the Seminoles signed a grant of rights contract—the contract that binds conference members together for the life of a media deal. But in this lawsuit, the Seminoles argued the contract is unenforceable under Florida state law and imposes “draconian” financial penalties for leaving before 2036, when the media deal is up. The suit alleged FSU would be on the hook for about $500 million in exit fees, an estimation that includes between $100 million and $200 million in exit fees and the value of media rights. The lawsuit also argued the conference has been negligent in its duties to maximize success and revenue for its members. 

On page 32 of the original complaint, FSU stated if the court agreed the ACC’s grant of rights contracts were unenforceable, FSU should “be deemed to have issued its formal notice of withdrawal from the ACC under Section 1.4.5 of the ACC Constitution effective August 14, 2023.”

The ACC countersued in North Carolina state court, arguing its contracts are, in fact, legal and enforceable. Both lawsuits are ongoing, as are a similar lawsuit filed by Clemson and a countersuit by the ACC, though Clemson made it clear it was just exploring its options and had no imminent intention of leaving.

Alford was speaking at the Sports Business Journal Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in Las Vegas. Representatives for Florida State, Clemson, and ACC did not immediately respond to requests for comment about his remarks. 

The Seminoles likely wouldn’t have filed the lawsuit in the first place if they didn’t have a desire to exit the ACC. They were angry after being left out of the four-team College Football Playoff after the 2023 season and cited the controversy as the final catalyst for taking legal action against the ACC. Alford and other FSU administrators have now walked back their previous stance after the Seminoles ended an abysmal season, finishing last in the conference and notching only two wins.

FSU board member Drew Weatherford also walked back comments he reportedly made in 2023 saying that leaving the ACC was a matter of “if,” and not “when.” On Wednesday, he said if the league can solve for financial disadvantages, the Seminoles would be willing to stay. But he noted: “If we can’t, I’m still open to the option that we need to find another conference.”