CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After a long-winded opening statement that lasted nearly a half-hour, Jim Phillips fielded questions left and right about the future of the conference. One of the questions pointed toward the ACC’s commissioner was about his confidence in whether or not the conference’s Grant of Rights will be challenged.
“I can just go by what history has told us about the grant of rights, including in current times,” Phillips said during Wednesday’s ACC Kickoff. “People talk about Oklahoma and Texas leaving immediately, I think that’s pretty well-stated now that’s not the case. They’re gonna wait until their grant of rights are over. Listening to UCLA and USC at the end of June, June 30th, and subsequent days after they clearly are going to stay in the Pac-12 until their Grant of Rights is over.
“So you can follow the logic there. I would think that the significance of what that would mean. The television rights that the conference owns as well as a nine-figure financial penalty, I think it holds, but your guess is as good as mine.”
Phillips was later challenged regarding the answer he gave above.
The schools he previously referenced had three years remaining on their Grant-of-Rights, while schools within the ACC have 14 years remaining. That’s a stark contrast.
“Everything is on the table,” he said. “We understand what that means. We understand what that revenue means moving forward, but I will also say, as I look at the next few years, I like where we’re going. But, again, the window is through ’36, so we’re going to have to address it, no question.”
The Grant-of-Rights agreement tied to the league’s contract has been instrumental in keeping other conferences from poaching ACC programs. Under the current agreement, member schools would have to pay an exit fee and surrender the entirety of their TV revenue to the conference if they elect to bolt elsewhere.
As Phillips mentioned before, the ACC’s long-term deal with ESPN doesn’t expire until 2036. The problem that lies within is the revenue gap.
“As it relates to TV partners, again, I don’t want to speculate about what anyone else has done,” Phillips said. “We have a deep relationship with ESPN, a valuable relationship, and they’re the ones that created the network with us. They’re the ones we partnered with. I give so much credit to Commissioner (John) Swafford for all of his work. We’ll stay close because, in the end, it has to add value to your conference, and you can define value in different ways. You can define value from an academic standpoint. You can define value about athletic success and competitiveness. Are they an AAU research institution? You can also define it by money and does it have value to your conference? Would it have value to your conference?”
“That’s the same exercise that I think has been going on for college athletics for a long, long time,” he added.
Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.
