Clemson joins Florida State, becomes second school to sue the ACC

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.

Clemson said it has not given notice that it is exiting the ACC and remains a member of the conference.

“The ACC remains confident that its agreements with all its members will be affirmed by the courts,” ACC Commissioner and Virginia President Jim Ryan, chairman of the conference board, said in a statement. "Clemson, along with all ACC members, voluntarily signed and re-signed the 2013 and 2016 Grant of Rights, which is binding through 2036. In addition, Clemson agreed to the process and procedures for withdrawal. The Conference's legal counsel will vigorously enforce the agreement and bylaws in the best interests of the ACC's current and incoming members.”

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 four-team College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014.