Florida State Board of Trustees unanimously votes to settle, end lawsuit against ACC

The Florida State Board of Trustees and Clemson University have officially voted to end their lawsuits against the Atlantic Coast Conference in a settlement considered a win for the universities.

Florida State voted to end the settlement unanimously.

According to the FSU Board of Trustees, schools will retain their media rights with one collective exit fee.

Both Florida State and Clemson are believed to remain in the conference for the foreseeable future.

The move, which was reported first by ESPN's Andrea Adelson and David Hale, shared that the agreement will include a revenue-sharing system that will favor teams that bring more viewership (brand initiative) and more individual (success initiatives). The agreement also provides a more defined penalty for institutions looking to leave the conference (including the exit fee and breaking the grant of rights contract).

The "brand initiative" is expected to favor schools such as Florida State and Clemson, which have consistently averaged the highest TV ratings in the last 15 years. 60% of the revenue pool will be awarded based on a ratings-based model. Leaders in viewership could bring upwards of $15 million, while the "success initiatives" could "close the gap" with the SEC and Big Ten schools that Florida State and Clemson have longed for.

On3's Andy Staples reported yesterday that it would be approximately $200 million for Florida State or Clemson to leave immediately. That number would drop to approximately $100 million at the end of the 2029-30 academic year.

Moreover, Adelson confirmed this report today just minutes before the FSU Board of Trustees voted to settle with the ACC.

More details emerging from settlement between ACC, FSU and Clemson via sources. Exit fee is expected to drop by $18 million each year through 2029-30. After that, exit fee drops to $75 million and any exiting team will retain is media rights.
— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) March 4, 2025

"More details emerging from settlement between ACC, FSU and Clemson via sources. Exit fee is expected to drop by $18 million each year through 2029-30. After that, exit fee drops to $75 million and any exiting team will retain is media rights," Adelson reported.

Coincidentally, that time period is when the Big Ten media rights contract ends.

FSU President Richard McCullough made the following remarks during the meeting once the vote was unanimous to end the litigation:

"I so appreciate all the hard work that got put into this, it couldn't of happened without Chair [Peter] Collins. He's been a great partner, part of the team, and helped in so many ways. [Chief Legal Officer] Carolyn [Egan], amazing job. She did a lot of the heavy lifting and interfacing ... It was a great process, and I'm so proud of how we were able to manage through all that, and I just appreciate our attorneys were phenomenal," said President McCullough.

The FSU President also thanked his partners for breaking down the "ironclad nature" of the legal process, but it was clearly a nod to the ACC's insistence that the grant of rights contract fees was unamendable.

"[The settlement] was not only helpful for Florida State but for the entire ACC league."

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