The ACC has responded to Clemson’s lawsuit, which the institution filed on Tuesday in a step toward leaving the conference.
In a joint statement, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and board of directors chairman Jim Ryan said they intend to defend the previously-agreed upon grant of rights and exit fees that Clemson opted into.
“The ACC remains confident that its agreements will all its members will be affirmed by the courts,” the statement reads. “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 agreements and bylaws in the best interests of the ACC’s current and incoming members.”
Clemson is now the second prominent ACC institution to file suit against the ACC, joining Florida State.
“Clemson has explored leaving the ACC just as diligently as others,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel said. “They took a quieter tact, in part thanks to sunshine laws. But a significant moment today for the future of ACC and college sports.”
According to Clemson’s 28-page complaint filed in Pickens County, South Carolina, the ACC’s current exit fees are “unconscionable” and “unenforceable.”
The school is also attempting to declare the ACC should not own Clemson’s media rights once it is no longer a member of the conference.