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ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips ready to ‘fight’, protect ACC ahead of ‘reset in college sports’

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ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips isn’t backing down from protecting the ACC as it deals with lawsuits from league members Clemson and Florida State, and the ever-shifting landscape in college sports as a whole. 

“We’re gonna fight it with every effort that we can. What has been agreed upon, twice, the Grant of Rights deserves to be executed. We have taken that position. That being said, the treatment of the conference office with those two schools hasn’t changed at all,” Phillips said Thursday at the Associated Press Sports Editors Summer Conference in Charlotte. 

Florida State sued the ACC in December and Clemson followed suit in March, both schools searching for a way out of the Grant of Rights agreement, which centers around the ACC’s television rights. When discussing the legal side of the league, Philips added it’s important to separate the athletes and teams from board members and presidents. 

“But (the lawsuits are) damaging to the league, it’s harmful to the league. This is a beautiful league that’s been around a long time — 70 years. It’s meant a lot to this part of the country and college sports,” Phillips said.

“. … We’re gonna fight. I’m gonna fight, and the courts will ultimately decide. We believe that everybody knows what was in that contract back then, and it was celebrated. 

“People were excited about a new network (ESPN) and we had just lost Maryland, and it was a chance for unity and togetherness and the rest of it. There was a unanimous acceptance of, ‘This is a great deal for the ACC.’ That has changed in the minds of a couple.” 

Looking at the bigger picture, change in college sports is inevitable. Phillips has seen that play out since taking over as commissioner in 2021. There are a lot of uncertainties, but he’s certain more change is on the way. 

“There’s going to be a reset in college sports,” Phillips said. 

“And it’s OK. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be the end of college sports, by any means. It’s going to look different. At the end of the day, the opportunity to provide additional benefits for student-athletes is a huge piece of what’s going to take place.” 

Here are some other highlights from Thursday’s question-and-answer session with Phillips, who spent roughly 45 minutes speaking at the APSE conference. 

The NCAA’s House Settlement 

Money is at the forefront of discussions surrounding college sports. 

When asked about the House v. NCAA settlement on Thursday, Phillips highlighted the importance of “looking back” and “looking forward” to guide the way down a new path in paying athletes directly. 

“We need to get to closure to be able to move forward,” Phillips said. 

Looking ahead, there’s a way, Phillips added, of how it should work. 

“The dollars funnel through the athletic departments and then the athletic departments distribute those dollars,” Phillips said, as opposed to donors and NIL collectives directly paying athletes. 

Title IX 

Jim Phillips said leaders in college sports “have more questions than answers right now,” and followed up that statement by pointing out the importance of Title IX and its implications. 

Title IX, Phillips said, has to be a “top of mind” topic. 

“We have to protect Title IX. The ACC, in particular, has been what I believe to be a leader. We offer 28 sports … 15 of those sports are women’s sports,” he said. 

“Whether it’s what the model looks like moving forward with the settlement, or whether it’s NIL moving forward, there has to be equity there.” 

ACC expansion, adding Cal, SMU, Stanford 

Cal, SMU and Stanford officially join the ACC in July, pushing the league’s total schools to 18. 

“We feel good. We’re at 18, the Big Ten’s at 18, the SEC’s at 16, the Big 12’s at 16,” Phillips said. “Mass matters, it just does in today’s world. It may not have mattered 25 years ago, but quantity and quality matter. And that’s what we feel like we’ve done.” 

The ACC, Phillips said, was “really active and engaged as a board and as a conference with expansion all the way through.” He pointed to widening the ACC’s reach in new markets: California and Texas. 

“As we went through this — we’re very happy with our current 15 schools — there was an opportunity, we felt like, to strengthen the ACC,” Phillips said. 

“As we went from a regional-based conference affiliation to now a more nationally-based one, Cal, Stanford and SMU fit the ACC incredibly well.” 

NCAA basketball tournament expansion

Jim Phillips described March Madness as a “crown jewel,” one that should be handled with care as NCAA Tournament expansion talks heat up. 

“It is appropriate to look at expansion, it just is. We need to do that, and we need to do that for a few reasons,” Phillips said, pointing to the opportunity for more athletes to experience the event. 

Breaking down a boost to the 68-team men’s tourney, Phillips said he’s in favor of “modest expansion.” 

“Whether it’s large expansion or whether it’s a smaller version, I would just say that we should look at it all,” he said.

“But in the end, we need to make sure that this crown jewel is healthy and vibrant and all that.” 

College sports betting, player props 

Phillips was asked about how sports betting affects college athletics, describing prop bets — which center around individual athletes — as a “runaway train.” 

 “If we can’t get our hands on that. Props are definitely — that’s a major concern,” he said. “. … I’m really concerned. I’m very concerned about the safety of student-athletes. Certainly concerned about game fixing.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter. 

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