Could Florida State Suing The ACC Impact Miami?
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Could Florida State suing the ACC to leave the conference impact Miami?
For quite some time, there have been extensive discussions about Florida State leaving the ACC and joining the SEC or Big 10. The catch, just like it is for the Miami Hurricanes or any other ACC member that could try to do the same, would be the Grant of Rights contract that each of these member institutions signed back in 2016.
Today, Florida State's Board of Trustees filed a lawsuit and the ACC has already filed a countersuit against the FSU Board of Trustees.
From Florida State's side of their lawsuit, here's what President Richard McCullough stated:
“I fully support the Board’s decision to take this legal action against the ACC. It is becoming painfully apparent that Florida State’s athletic ambitions and institutional priorities are no longer served by the ACC’s leadership.”
In the court of law, could FSU win the Grant of Rights battle, which could then open the door for other ACC members to potentially do the same? That's a direct link to Miami, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech, etc.
It's a complex court battle that's only starting but here are two points that Miami fans and every other ACC member's fanbase should know.
First, these will be quick and seamless court cases. There are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. That leads to the bigger picture of who's involved.
Second, if FSU is let out of this contract it could hit not only the ACC in the wallet but ESPN in the pocket as well because it reduces the media giant's power because a long-term contract would not be honored by a court; a precedent would be set.
Who's to say that North Carolina or Miami, perhaps both, would not be next to sue? ESPN and other media companies are not going to like that. Of course, the remaining ACC teams would be in a unique situation as well.
From those points, any reasonable person can understand that these lawsuits will be battled tooth and nail.
To conclude, FSU's lawsuit, and the ACC's countersuit, are now out in the open. While not directly attached, as an ACC member, every court ruling has a chance to impact Miami. It's going to be interesting to follow the next series of events and the potentially enormous ramifications of each court decision for Miami and each other ACC member.
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