By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTE — When North Carolina and three other ACC schools asked Congress to change provisions in the Protect College Sports Act, it signaled possible turbulence ahead for the league.
Leaders from UNC, Clemson, Florida State and Miami sent a joint letter to House leaders early last week after the Senate passed the legislation. The letter, which UNC chancellor Lee Roberts signed, called for removal of provisions that would require power conference schools to be independent for three seasons when changing leagues and limit conferences to 20 schools (they want it changed to 22).
During his ACC Tipoff press conference Tuesday at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, Commissioner Jim Phillips said the league lacks unanimity on the subject. Phillips was pressed on whether the changes the four schools seek would lead to an exodus from the league, or whether departures were coming anyway. He declined to speculate.
“Hypotheticals, I don’t want to get into hypotheticals. I stand by what I’ve said. The conference is in a good place. Healthy, functioning, achieving at a high level,” Phillips said. “You have to be ready for anything, but I feel good about where we’re at, and we’ll see what this Bill ends up doing.”
If an ACC school left now for another league, the exit fee would be $165 million, but that drops every year. It is $93 million in 2029–30 and $75 million in 2030–31 and beyond. If schools leave the league, it probably won’t happen until 2030.
Phillips said he has no illusions about how difficult it is to get 18 schools to agree on a single piece of federal legislation, especially one of this size. He described the bill as an industry-wide effort that draws input from elected officials, donors, conferences, athletic directors, coaches and athletes, and he said legislation is bound to contain provisions that some people like and others do not.
“It’s rare to have unanimity on anything as it relates to a bill in particular,” Phillips said. “The 171-page document, there’s an awful lot that people like and don’t like.”
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The Senate passed the bill by a 77–23 vote, which Phillips called a strong statement, but the legislation still has to clear the House. He said the calendar adds another layer of uncertainty, with the House in recess.
“It now has to go through the House, and there’s a recess right now, and there’s going to be an election in early November,” Phillips said. “I’m not sure what that will mean.”
Phillips said his role is to represent every school in the conference, including the four that sent the letter. He said his job is “to state and support all 18 schools,” and he argued that the dissenting presidents and chancellors should have a chance to make their case directly to lawmakers. He added that he does not believe the four schools oppose the entire bill.
Asked whether his position on the legislation has changed since he voiced support for it in July, Phillips said he is following the wishes of the membership, which is divided in a lopsided but notable way.
“We have 14 schools that feel really good about it that want to sign it, and we have four schools that have an issue with a portion of it, so that’s what I’m going to continue to push towards the decision-makers and those that have written the bill to date,” Phillips said.
Phillips pointed to the league’s financial standing as evidence of its stability. He said the ACC expects to distribute close to $1 billion to its membership next year for the first time, a 57% increase, and he listed 36 national championships in the last four-plus years and 19 straight years as the top-ranked FBS conference academically.
“I have always tried to make sure that this was a conference that people wanted to be in, and I’m really proud of what we’ve done,” Phillips said. “We’re as healthy as we’ve ever been.”
Photo by Nell Redmond/theACC.com
