Clemson joins Florida State, becomes second school to sue ACC as it seeks to exit conference

Clemson sued the Atlantic Coast Conference in a South Carolina court on Tuesday, joining Florida State in challenging the league’s right to charge schools hundreds of millions of dollars to leave.

The complaint filed in Pickens County says the ACC’s “exorbitant $ 140 million” exit penalty and the grant of rights used to bind schools to a conference through their media rights should be struck down.

“Each of these erroneous assertions separately hinders Clemson’s ability to meaningfully explore its options regarding conference membership, to negotiate alternative revenue-sharing proposals among ACC members and to obtain full value for its future media rights,” the school said in the lawsuit.

In statement, Clemson said it has not given notice that it is exiting the ACC and remains a member of the conference. The ACC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In December, Florida State’s board of trustees sued the ACC in Florida, making similar claims. The ACC pre-emptively filed a lawsuit against Florida State in North Carolina, where the conference offices are located, saying the school’s actions were a breach of contract.

Florida State claims exiting the ACC before the grant of rights and current media rights deal with ESPN runs out in 2036 would cost $572 million. The first hearing in the North Carolina case is scheduled for Friday.

Clemson is a charter member of the ACC, dating back to its founding in 1953. The school emerged over the last decade as a national college football powerhouse, winning national championships in 2016 and 2018.

Clemson and Florida State are the only ACC schools to reach the fourteam College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014.

Nine Bowl Subdivision conferences, including the ACC, agreed last week on a new six-year deal to continue participating in the CFP through the 2031 football season. That includes a revenue-sharing deal that gives the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences almost double the annual distribution to the ACC and Big 12.

AP PHOTO/SUSAN WALSH Clemson players sit on the bench near the end of the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA college basketball tournament after their lost to Boston College, on March 13 in Washington.