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5 former FSU officials to give depositions to ACC lawyers in ongoing suit

On3 imageby:Ira Schoffel•about 9 hours•

iraschoffel

On3 image
Former Florida State athletics director David Coburn (left) and former FSU President John Thrasher are scheduled to give depositions to ACC attorneys in the coming weeks. (Warchant files)

Reports last week that Florida State University and the ACC were working toward a settlement of their dueling lawsuits might have been a tad premature.

Over the next two weeks, five former Florida State officials — including former FSU presidents John Thrasher and Eric Barron — are scheduled to give depositions to attorneys for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The other three officials to be deposed are Ed Burr, former chair of the Florida State Board of Trustees; former athletics director David Coburn; and former FSU athletics faculty representative Pam Perrewe.

The depositions will be taken at the Tallahassee law offices of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., according to documents on the Leon County Circuit Court website. The notices were filed on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

“The deposition will take place under oath, for the purpose of discovery or other purposes, including trial, as permitted under the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure,” the documents state. “The oral examination will take place before a court reporter, or some other officer duly authorized by law to administer oaths in the State of Florida, and will be recorded by transcription and video.”

All five former FSU officials were in positions of authority during various stages of Florida State’s sometimes-adversarial relationship with the ACC.

Barron was president when the conference’s controversial Grant of Rights was signed in 2013, and Thrasher was in charge when the contract was extended in 2016.

Coburn was chief of staff for both Barron and Thrasher from 2012-18 before later being named athletics director. Perrewe and Burr were in their positions during that time frame as well.

Florida State is suing the Atlantic Coast Conference in an effort to either invalidate the Grant of Rights or have the associated fees and penalties reduced in an effort to leave the league before 2036, which is when the GOR expires.

Without that relief, the Seminoles could owe the ACC hundreds of millions of dollars if the school leaves early to join another conference with a more lucrative television contract.

Clemson is pursuing a similar legal action against the ACC in South Carolina, while the ACC is suing both schools in North Carolina court.

When news broke last week that ESPN has agreed to opt-in for the final nine years of the ACC’s television contract, reports from Yahoo Sports and ESPN suggested that the conference is working to reach a settlement with Florida State and Clemson that would lead to each of the schools’ lawsuits being dropped.

That could still be the case. But in the meantime, Thrasher and Coburn are scheduled to give depositions on Feb. 14, Barron on Feb. 19, Burr on Feb. 20, and Perrewe on Feb. 21.

Stay connected with Warchant.com for more on this developing story.

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