Florida State, ACC end mediation, continue settlement talks

Florida State and the ACC met for mediation on Aug. 13 but as expected, did not settle.

Settlement talks are set to continue, though. The two parties filed a joint notice of mediation compliance earlier this week in Leon County Court, stating they will “continue discussions.” The news comes two days before Georgia Tech and Florida State open the college football season in Dublin, Ireland.

The Tampa Bay Times first reported the news.

A source told On3 earlier this month that the belief was nothing had changed in the relationship between the school and its conference, despite entering the court-ordered mediation. Florida State is seeking to leave the ACC without paying an exit fee and the cost of buying out its remaining media rights. Attorneys previously estimated it could cost upwards of $500 million to buy out its rights back and leave the ACC.

“Listen, it’s disappointing we’re in this place,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said on Tuesday’s interview on SportsCenter. “It’s a harmful situation. But we’re going to do just that. We’re going to fight. And that’s the way it should be. When you sign an agreement twice — willingly sign — that you are part of a group that comes together and decides this is what you want to do for the next 20 years, you should be held accountable for that. That being said, we will compartmentalize that piece of it and we will go into the football season.

“And that’s what I’m really looking forward to. Some of the legal conversations and some of the dynamics around these cases has taken away from the ACC.”

Documents show ESPN can end media deal with ACC in 2027

There are four ongoing lawsuits against the conference: the ACC vs. Clemson; the ACC vs. Florida State; Clemson vs. the ACC; and Florida State vs. the ACC. The next scheduled court date is Sept. 11 in Florida’s First District Court of Appeal. The ACC will explain its case that a previous ruling committed “judicial foul in front of a three-judge panel.

Documents recently released by the Florida Attorney General confirmed that ESPN can end the ACC’s media rights deal in 2027. The document cites the need for written notice to the ACC “no later than two (2) years after the launch of date of the ACC-ESPN Network” about ESPN’s plans to pick up the option. The ACC and ESPN launched the ACC Network in 2019.

In August 2021, Phillips signed an amendment regarding the extension option. The specifics of the amendment are redacted, but as Warchant’s Ira Schoffel wrote, that’s where Florida State argued the new date is February 2025.

Many of these lawsuits have been centered around landing access to the ACC’s contracts with ESPN. Florida State and Clemson have argued the league’s contracts are invalid.

“You never want to be in litigation with your own schools,” a senior TV source recently told On3. “And yeah, the schools have signaled that they want out. I don’t know what he [Phillips] could possibly do to change that picture. He’s not going to go to ESPN for more money now.”