Tag: Jim Phillips

ACC Commissioner releases statement on Florida State’s lawsuit against the conference

The ACC Commish has released a statement responding to Florida State’s lawsuit.

A lot has happened Friday morning, with Florida State set to sue the ACC over the Grant of Rights deal. 

Following this news, the ACC has released a statement from commissioner Jim Phillips and Jim Ryan, Chair of the ACC Board of Directors. Here is what they had to say about the situation. 

“Florida State’s decision to file action against the Conference is in direct conflict with their longstanding obligations and is a clear violation of their legal commitments to the other members of the Conference. All ACC members, including Florida State, willingly and knowingly re-signed the current Grant of Rights in 2016, which is wholly enforceable and binding through 2036. Each university has benefited from this agreement, receiving millions of dollars in revenue and neither Florida State nor any other institution, has ever challenged its legitimacy.

“As a league, we are proud of the successes of our student-athletes and that the ACC has won the most NCAA National Championships over the past two and half years while also achieving the highest graduation success and academic performance rates among all FBS conferences, so it is especially disappointing that FSU would choose to pursue this unprecedented and overreaching approach.

“We are confident that the Grant of Rights, which has been honored by all other universities who signed similar agreements, will be affirmed by the courts and the Conference’s legal counsel will vigorously enforce the agreement in the best interests of the ACC’s current and incoming members.”

Heather Dinich: Conference realignment means nothing for Notre Dame

Don’t worry, Irish fans.

To put it mildly, college football is in chaos. The Pac-12 is about to become extinct or is seriously threatened at the very least.

Oregon and Washington will join USC and UCLA in the Big Ten in 2024. Colorado is rejoining the Big 12 in 2024, and we now know Arizona, Arizona State, Utah also are heading there as well.

What does this mean for Notre Dame?

If college football insiders are to be believed, absolutely nothing. As part of a series of questions published on ESPN’s website, Heather Dinich was asked to tackle the evergreen issue of the Irish’s independence and how it applies to the changing college football climate. If you’re worried about the Irish giving into public pressure and joining a conference permanently, Dinich says don’t be:

“Notre Dame athletic director [autotag]Jack Swarbrick[/autotag] has long repeated the same three factors that could contribute to the university’s position as an independent becoming ‘unsustainable.’

Those include: the loss of a committed broadcast partner; the loss of a fair route into the postseason; or such an adverse financial consequence that would force it to reconsider.

In spite of all of the drama swirling around Notre Dame, nothing has impacted those particular factors. Notre Dame still has a strong partnership with NBC as its broadcast partner that runs through the 2025 season. It recently announced a renewed commitment to Under Armour. It also remains a partial member of the ACC in football and has a contract with the league stating that if the Irish were to relinquish their independence, it would be for the ACC.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said recently at the league’s media days that he knows how much the Irish value their independence. Notre Dame still remains the most valuable property remaining on the Monopoly board – and it’s still not for sale.”

Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune expressed similar thoughts earlier in the day. So sleep easy, Irish fans. The program is not changing its affiliation or lack thereof anytime soon. Besides, conferences need the Irish more than the Irish need them.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips talks Notre Dame independence

No need to be concerned for now, independence fans.Bra

With ACC Media Days underway, this also is the time for the man at the head of the conference to speak out. Commissioner Jim Phillips took the podium in Charlotte and faced his annual round of questioning from assembled media.

At some point during the day, Phillips was asked about Notre Dame’s independence. He is on record as saying he wants the Irish to join the conference for football, and he had this response according to Brandon Marcello of 247Sports:

With the SEC and Big Ten on the verge of becoming super conferences, the question of whether the Irish will stay independent becomes more relevant than before. It will be interesting to see how long the program can keep this going before the deck becomes stacked against it enough that joining a conference is the only option.

While many Irish fans don’t want to think about being in a conference, nothing is off the table anymore. Money talks, and the Irish might eventually have to bite the bullet to stay relevant in college football.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Twitter pays tribute to Mike Brey after final game as Notre Dame coach

What would you like to say to the departing Irish coach?

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips presented [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] with a commemorative photo before Notre Dame’s conference tourney loss to Virginia Tech. Former Irish player [autotag]Jordan Cornette[/autotag], calling the game for ACC Network, did likewise.

It was the time for it to happen because there was a very good chance that this would be the Irish’s only appearance in the tournament, and it was. Although the Hokies were the team moving on, the significance of the Irish’s loss was not lost on college basketball fans.

No one knows where Brey will end up next, but it won’t feel the same regardless. He has become so synonymous with Notre Dame that people both part and not part of the Irish’s fan base took to Twitter after the game to express their appreciation for him. He deserves all the recognition he’s getting right now, not only for what he’s done as a coach but also for who he is as a person.

Here are only some of the tributes that have been tweeted out:

ACC commish shares thoughts on conference realignment

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips addressed a number of topics when he took the podium Wednesday morning at the 2022 ACC Tipoff at the Westin in Charlotte. One of the big things Phillips discussed is the college sports landscape and …

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips addressed a number of topics when he took the podium Wednesday morning at the 2022 ACC Tipoff at the Westin in Charlotte.

One of the big things Phillips discussed is the college sports landscape and conference realignment.

He was asked about conference realignment moves calming down since he spoke at the 2022 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte back in July.

“It’s always — the intensity doesn’t stop,” Phillips said. “Maybe out in the public world. You continue to monitor what’s happening. You continue to try to make the very best decisions. You continue to look at all options.”

“Some of those things have settled down some, and we need it to,” he added. “You can’t always be in a state of chaos, whether it’s expansion, whether it’s the NCAA restructuring, whether it’s the college football playoff. I mean, you put the situation in there. You have to have some stability and you have to start moving forward in a clear way.”

Phillips said he feels “really good” about where the ACC is and where it’s going, regarding conference realignment.

“We met – we meaning the ACC board – and myself and our executive staff, met in Durham three weeks ago or so for our normal two days of fall meetings. That’s a unified group. It really is,” he said.

“It’s a collaborative and unified group that’s working together that feels good about not only where we’re at right now but where we’re headed.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Commissioner: Relocation all about ACC’s future, ‘long-term success’

It wasn’t an easy decision, to hear Jim Phillips describe it. But the ACC commissioner as well as the league’s board of directors thought it was necessary. After seven decades in Greensboro – the only home the ACC has ever known – the conference is …

It wasn’t an easy decision, to hear Jim Phillips describe it. But the ACC commissioner as well as the league’s board of directors thought it was necessary.

After seven decades in Greensboro – the only home the ACC has ever known – the conference is relocating its offices to Charlotte. It’s a move that became official Tuesday after the ACC announced last year that it was considering a move.

It won’t happen immediately. The league will use the 2022-23 academic year as a transition period to complete the move from Greensboro, which has housed the league’s headquarters since 1953. Phillips said the ACC also made a handful of trips to Orlando, another finalist for the relocation.

In the end, though, Charlotte – a city that already hosts a number of league championship events, including the ACC football title game – made the most sense for a conference looking to increase its visibility within the landscape of college athletics.

“This decision is focused on the future of the ACC and best positioning the ACC for long-term success,” Phillips said.

In a news release sent out Tuesday morning, the league cited its partnership with Newmark, a commercial real-estate services firm, that helped lead a “data-drive comparison and evaluation” used to make the relocation decision by the league’s board, which represents all 15 of the ACC’s member institutions. Phillips detailed in a conference call with media members later exactly what data was taken into consideration, including Charlotte’s growing population, a large airport easily accessible for all of its schools and a “forward-facing brand opportunity.”

“We have right around 80,000 ACC graduates that live in the Charlotte region,” Phillips said. “It’s home to nearly 500 global and regional headquarters in the city-land area. So those are part of the data-driven as well as other elements that were deeply considered by the board and by myself.”

North Carolina reportedly sweetened its bid to keep the league in state by recently earmarking $15 million for the conference in its proposed operating budget. In order to receive those funds, though, the ACC has to keep its headquarters there for at least 15 more years and hold more than 20 postseason events by 2034 that aren’t already scheduled to be hosted by the state, including additional men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and baseball tournaments.

“The state was incredibly neutral to where the conference office would be located,” Phillips said. “It just did not want to see it leave the state.”

Asked if the ACC will be able to meet those requirements in order to receive that additional revenue, Phillips said there will be ”no hesitancy at all.”

Some of those future basketball tournaments will be required to be held in Greensboro, where the Greensboro Coliseum has hosted the men’s tournament more than any other venue. The men’s tournament will return to Greensboro in 2023 after being played in Brooklyn earlier this year.

Phillips said it’s not the conference’s intention to forget about the Gate City when it comes to hosting various postseason events in the future, adding it’s been a “phenomenal home” for championships in multiple sports.

“Just because the physical placement of the office is in a different location doesn’t at all necessarily impact the opportunity that Greensboro will have,” Phillips said. “I think you’re going to continue to see Greensboro in that rotation as we look into the future.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce limited edition signed cards from the freshmen football players are now in our online store. There are only 100 of each signed.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

ACC commissioner explains why league voted for expanded playoff

It didn’t take long for ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips to be questioned about his league’s stance on college football’s expanded playoff. Hours after College Football Playoff’s Board of Managers voted Friday to expand the field to 12 teams, Phillips …

It didn’t take long for ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips to be questioned about his league’s stance on college football’s expanded playoff.

Hours after College Football Playoff’s Board of Managers voted Friday to expand the field to 12 teams, Phillips joined Roddy Jones and Wes Durham during the ACC Network’s broadcast of Duke’s game against Temple. The vote to go from four to 12 playoff teams, which will happen no later than the 2026 season, was unanimous among the board, which consists of presidents and chancellors representing each Football Bowl Subdivision conference and Notre Dame.

The ACC has been opposed to expansion in the past. In fact, the ACC was one of three conferences that voted against it when the concept of a 12-team playoff was initially introduced last year. In response to the league’s dissenting vote earlier this year, Phillips said at the time that it is “not the right time” for expansion.

On Friday, Phillips was asked what changed.

“Well I would just say this: The ACC has always been for expansion. What we wanted was a 365-day calendar review for football, for the health and safety,” Phillips said during the broadcast. “Where were we going to play these games and over what period of time, and we have done that over the past six months. I will tell you I am really proud of the work that the 10 FBS conferences have done together along with Notre Dame. We have had multiple meetings on this 365-day calendar.  It is moving along.  It is not quite done, but it is way down the road.

“You’ve got to have finals right and reading week right. When does camp start? All of that stuff. And how does that affect you throughout the course of a long season? So I am just feeling really good about it. And I am glad that we have gotten some clarity about what we are going to do in ’26. If we can work and get some of these things wrapped up, we may be able to expand a little bit sooner.”

Phillips then praised Clemson President Jim Phillips — the ACC’s board representative — for the work he’s done on the board when the subject was broached by Durham.

“Jim Clements just a tremendous leader at Clemson,” Phillips said. “He has been our voice on that board of managers. He indicated to those other presidents where we were in January and February, and we got to work.

“He feels really good. Our board feels really good. We had a meeting this week on it, and our board is super supportive. I know the coaches are excited, and the student-athletes are excited to have more opportunities to play in the college football national championship.”

ACC Football Kickoff: Phillips Q&A Session

The 2022 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte kicked off Wednesday morning with ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips taking the podium at The Westin Charlotte. Phillips touched on a number of different topics, including conference realignment, College …

The 2022 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte kicked off Wednesday morning with ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips taking the podium at The Westin Charlotte.

Phillips touched on a number of different topics, including conference realignment, College Football Playoff expansion, the Grant of Rights, revenue and much more.

Check out Phillips’ question-and-answer session at the ACC Football Kickoff in The Clemson Insider’s video below:

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.

Phillips addresses topic of College Football Playoff expansion

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips addressed a number of topics when he took the podium Wednesday morning at the 2022 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, including College Football Playoff expansion. Phillips said the conference “continues to be …

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips addressed a number of topics when he took the podium Wednesday morning at the 2022 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, including College Football Playoff expansion.

Phillips said the conference “continues to be supportive of an expanded College Football Playoff.” The league voted against expansion last year, he said, because issues such as the new FBS calendar need to be addressed.

“As you know, the ACC took what we believe was a necessary stance regarding last fall’s CFP proposal,” Phillips said. “This was based on what we feel we must all come together to address before rushing into a new model — the implantation of a 365-day calendar, health and safety, and several other items that you know well. Engagement is ongoing with our schools and my fellow commissioners to chart a path forward prior to the expiration of the current CFP contract in 2026. We had two great meetings in April and June, and I’m confident that our concerns and others’ concerns will be addressed, and a new model with greater access will ultimately come to pass. We will do our part in the ACC to make it happen, but there’s some more work to be done.”

Phillips indicated that progress on expansion has been made, saying that CFP commissioners have made “great progress” in their last two meetings this year.

Phillips expects there may be news at the end of August regarding progress toward a new CFP structure, though he said there’s a lot of things to discuss.

“We’re making progress with the Transformation Committee, and I think you’re going to see something at the end of August that’s pretty substantial, with more work to be done,” Phillips said. “I think these things are walking along together, along with a new NCAA president. I don’t expect us in September, when we get together, to line up and announce a new CFP structure.

“But I think we made great progress over our last two meetings, both in April and in June, and everybody’s motivated to come together. So, I don’t know that there’s this separation now with those things. We’ll see. But I think the health and safety, the 365-day calendar review… We’ve talked about access, automatic qualifiers… there’s a lot of things to discuss. But those things, again, I would tell you I do not think have really separated that much.”

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.

Taking aim at Big Ten and SEC, Phillips advocates for ‘healthy neighborhood’ amid realignment

CHARLOTTE – Jim Phillips went more than 25 minutes into his opening remarks at the ACC’s annual football media days Wednesday at The Westin Charlotte without mentioning the Big Ten or SEC by name. But the ACC’s commissioner threw his share of …

CHARLOTTE – Jim Phillips went more than 25 minutes into his opening remarks at the ACC’s annual football media days Wednesday at The Westin Charlotte without mentioning the Big Ten or SEC by name.

But the ACC’s commissioner threw his share of indirect shots at the two conferences that have taken the lead on conference realignment, publicly questioning the health and direction of college athletics amid its rapidly shifting landscape.

“Fundamentally we are all responsible for the greater good of the enterprise,” Phillips said. “Let me repeat that. We are all responsible for the greater good of the enterprise. College athletics lives at a three-way intersection of competition, education, and entertainment, and all three must exist in a balanced way.”

In moves undoubtedly motivated by the football programs being massive revenue generators, the Big Ten recently poached Southern Cal and UCLA from the Pac-12 while the SEC will add notable Big 12 brands Texas and Oklahoma within the next few years. Phillips said the ACC “making a move just to make a move doesn’t make sense,” but countermoves are being considered by the league.

Standing pat and expanding are both options, Phillips said.

“We’ve had lots of really good discussions within the ACC,” he said. “I think you have to be thoughtful, you have to be smart, and you have to be strategic.
“In the end, what is the value that ends up coming back to the conference if we were to expand? All of those things have to be under great scrutiny and dialogue and ultimately some kind of formation of what we think is best.

As for the current members’ loyalty to the conference, Phillips said he’s confident in the ACC’s 14 football schools sticking together after speaking with institutional leaders.

“That’s all I’ve heard in all the calls that we’ve had,” he said.

While the conference’s grant of rights is certainly playing a part in that commitment from ACC teams for now, any potential moves in the future, Phillips said, need to be considered with more than the revenue sports in mind. He pointed his comments specifically at those who are in favor of a pay-for-play model for football and basketball athletes.

“For decades, we have relied on the financial power of two sports that generate revenue to fund themselves as well as other sports, commonly referred to as the Olympic sports,” Phillips said. “Many of those Olympic sports student-athletes’ only path to colleges is through sport. Yet they leave enriched for life. Our nation relies on these sports to fulfill spots on Team USA, which had nearly 80% current and former collegians on its last Summer Olympics roster.

“What happens to those gains from Title IX if Olympic sports cannot be supported? What happens to the Olympic movement that makes us all proud if those on-campus opportunities disappear? These are hard questions that must be considered as college athletics continues to change and evolve.”

Ultimately, Phillips acknowledged, his job is to do what’s in the best interest of the ACC, even if he’d rather not see a further widening of the gap between the haves and the have nots.

“(I) will also strongly advocate for college athletics to be a healthy neighborhood, not a two or three gated communities,” he said.