UNC AD Bubba Cunningham reacts to recent FSU complaints about the ACC

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham told the The Adam Gold Show on 99.9 The Fan in North Carolina that he didn’t think it was good business for Florida State to publicly air grievances about the ACC.

“If they want to leave, then that’s going to be their choice. But there’s certain obligations that they do have. We have an exit fee and we have a grant of rights,” Cunningham said, according to Brian Murphy of WRAL, the NBC affiliate in the Research Triangle.

The ACC’s Grant of Rights — the schools collectively signing over their media rights to the conference —  have been viewed by many as pretty much impossible to get out of. The grant is set to last through 2036.

“I don’t think it’s good for our league for them (Florida State) to be out there barking like that. I’d rather see them be a good member of the league, support the league and if they have to make a decision, then so be it. Pay for the exit fee, wait for your grant of rights that you’ve given and then in 2036 when those rights return to you, do whatever you want,” Cunningham said, according to Murphy.

The reaction comes one day after Florida State president Rick McCullough and former quarterback and current Board of Trustees member Drew Weatherford expressed their displeasure at the conference.

Weatherford said he thinks it not a matter of if the school will leave the conference but when.

“I do think it’s an existential threat,” Weatherford said. “And this is just one board member speaking. Unless something drastic changes on the revenue side at the ACC, it’s not a matter of if we leave, in my opinion. It’s a matter of how and when we leave. Not everyone may agree with that, but I feel really strongly about it because I don’t want to play games. I want to go compete for championships moving forward. That’s what Florida State is about. And unfortunately, we’re in a situation where money matters more than ever and you cannot compete without the resources necessary.”

McCullough said the school will seriously consider leaving the conference.

He has been the president of the school since 2021.

“Our goal would be to stay in the ACC. But staying in the ACC under the current situation is hard for us to figure out how we remain competitive. Unless there were a major change in the revenue distribution within the conference. I believe FSU will, at some point, have to very seriously consider leaving the ACC unless there is a radical change to the revenue distribution,” McCullough said.

North Carolina was a founding member of the ACC back in 1952 while Florida State was added to the conference in 1991. They were the second program to be admitted to the conference after Georgia Tech.