ACC's Jim Phillips at Commissioner's Forum during ACC Kickoff

That was exhilarating. Good way to start Tuesday morning. Good morning. Welcome

to the 2025 a ACC football kickoff. Let me begin by thanking each of you for

attending. We thoroughly enjoy hosting you here in Charlotte for this occasion as well as

the many other championships, meetings, and events we hold throughout the year. The Queen City is an outstanding home

for the ACC and please know that our office is always available to you.

On behalf of the entire ACC, our hearts and prayers remain with everyone who's been affect affected by the horrific

storms and flooding, most specifically in central Texas where the loss of life

is truly devastating. We will continue to keep the family and friends of loved ones in our thoughts

and I ask that you join me in a moment of remembrance.

Thank you. To see so many media partners, colleagues, and friends assembled here today is incredibly

humbling. You are appreciated, and your attendance, coverage, and support will never be taken for granted.

As I've done annually since my first ACC football kickoff five years ago, there's one group in attendance that I'd like to

especially recognize. Yesterday, I was able to spend time with our ACC student athlete advisory

committee. If you know me and have followed this league, you know there is nothing more important than our amazing

student athletes. Please join me in recognizing the representatives from our ACC sack who I asked to stand that are

midway back here today.

They remain the best and brightest student athletes in the country. Promise you. Before I look ahead, it's important

to reflect on the past year and what was accomplished both within the ACC and

nationally. Beginning last July and throughout the year, we seamlessly integrated our three

newest league members. Our national footprint present in each of the five

most populated states and having four of the 10 largest television markets will

continue to serve the ACC well. During the 2024 Summer Olympics in

Paris, athletes from ACC institutions combined to win 102 total medals, the

most of any conference, including the highest number of golds. Current and former student athletes from

a total of 13 different schools won at least one medal and Stanford athletes

led all NCA schools with a school record 39.

The partnership with Disney and ESPN was only further strengthened this past year. Last summer we celebrated the

fifth anniversary of ACC Network with a series of med media interviews and events in Bristol.

Following the celebration on ESPN's campus, many of us were on the same

flight to Ireland for the Heirlingus Classic featuring Florida State and

Georgia Tech. It was an incredible atmosphere and having ESPN's College

Game Day as well as ACC Huddle broadcasting live for the first time outside of the United States was

absolutely tremendous. It was also the most watched week zero college football game since 2019 and the

top game on cable this past season. Sponsorships were enhanced as two

additional partners were secured, including GEICO as the presenting sponsor of the 2024 ACC football

championship game. And as part of a multi-year agreement through 2027, Troll

Price became an official sponsor of the ACC and as the exclusive title sponsor

of the ACC men's basketball tournament. At the end of January, in conjunction

with ESPN, we announced an extension of our long-term partnership through the

203536 academic year. The renewed commitment demonstrated ESPN's ongoing dedication

to the ACC and has accelerated our creative and innovative efforts to drive

additional value. Following the ACC board of directors

endorsement of a competitive success initiatives program back in May of 2023,

this past year marked the first implementation of the progressive and forwardthinking

approach that rewards schools for their competitive success in football and in

basketball. When the initiative was first approved, only football and men's basketball

revenues from national postseason competition were included. However, I

applaud our leadership in being proactive by ensuring women's basketball would be effortlessly integrated when

the NCAA D1 membership approved implementation of units back in January.

The legal disputes within the conference were brought to resolution at the beginning of March. The ACC board of

directors was amazing in its leadership, dedication, and patience through a challenging process. The settlement

provides long-term stability for the league with the potential for all members to benefit from additional

revenue opportunities. Leading in the distribution of revenue

based on success and now with an additional revenue distri distribution model that is based on viewership. The

ACC has been innovative in its approach to conference revenues.

As part of the modernization of college athletics, these new models allow us to maintain distributions for all ACC

members that are above most other conferences while also providing flexibility for competition at the

highest level of revenue. On the playing fields and in the classrooms, our student athletes and

programs continue to shine. The ACC won six NCA titles this past year and has

amassed 29 in the last four years. In that span, no conference has won more

NCA titles in league sponsored sports. Amazingly, there have been 17 occasions

that an ACC team defeated another ACC team in either the NCAA semifinals or

the championship over the last four years. Let me just say this is a killer for the

commissioner. It's the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat all in the same moment.

In addition to our NCA titles, 12 teams finished their seasons ranked either number one or number two in their

respective national polls. Earlier this month, we announced Virginia's Gretchen

Walsh and Duke's Cooper Flag were chosen by a select media panel as the top

female and male ACC athletes for the 202425 academic year. Walsh earned her

second consecutive Mary Garber award as the most outstanding female athlete a

week after winning the Honda Cup as the 2025 collegiate woman athlete of the

year. flagged the consensus men's national player of the year and the top pick in June's NBA draft earned the

Anthony J. McKvlin award as the premier male athlete.

The nominees for these top league awards were remarkable especially when you consider the national award winners and

Olympic medalist who are on that list. And as many of you noted at the time,

this was only the sixth time in history that the number one draft picks from the NFL and NBA hailed from the same

conference. ACC's Cam Ward of Miami and Cooper Flag.

Beyond athletics, our member institutions remain national leaders in academic metrics, including US News

World Reports best colleges, NCA graduation success rates, and academic

progress rates. Let me be clear to the ACC, academics, and graduation continue

to be cornerstones and a significant point of differentiation. Financially, as most recently reported,

we were one of only two power conferences to show a revenue increase in 2023 24. We had the highest gross

revenue ever reported for the league at over $711 million.

Over the last five years, our overall revenues up 56% has more than tripled in the last 13.

We delivered an average of $45 million to each school, also a league record.

And once again, we are in the top three in both overall revenues generated and per school distribution. And we fully

expect that to continue as we look ahead competitively, academically,

financially, and beyond. It was another truly remarkable year for the ACC, which

is a tribute to the exceptional leadership at our institutions led by our CEOs and ads.

There will always be more to do, but we are well positioned for the future. And I'm confident that our league will

remain laser focused on bu building upon these successes by further embracing

innovation, creativity, and competition.

Nationally, the ACC continues to play a vital and leading role in this transformational moment for college

sports. There remains strong ongoing collaboration among the power four commissioners as we work together to

build a better and more sustainable future. There's not a day that I'm not engaged

in discussions on the college sports commission, federal legislation efforts, the NCAA, or the college football

playoff. As you know, after years of uncertainty and legal challenges, the formal

approval of the settlement in June was a major step forward in modernizing

college athletics. The new system provides a sustainable framework that allows more benefits to student athletes

while continuing the broad-based programming that produced so many Olympic medalists last summer.

The ability for schools to provide scholarships to more student athletes does not get the positive attention it

deserves. From the very beginning and throughout the negotiations,

anticipated resolution, preparations for approval, and now to full implementation, the ACC has been at the

forefront of these discussions. The College Sports Commission with Brian

Cely as its CEO has already begun its tireless work ensuring compliance with

the new rules around revenue sharing, student athlete NIL deals and roster

limits. Brian begins his tenure about a month ago and I continue to be impressed

with him with his credentials speaking for themselves. As we move forward and continue to meet

this true reset moment, we must remember that everything will not be perfect immediately.

We know we must get this right, which we take very seriously. We're being thoughtful about every detail and are

committed to progress through learning, adapting, and strengthening the model to support and protect college sports for

generations to come. And the obligation to get this right is one the entire industry shares. From me

and my fellow commissioners to university presidents, athletic directors, and coaches, we have to

commit to structure, exercise restraint,

and be intentional about resetting the culture of college athletics. Without question, there's still

significant work to be done, but we must acknowledge that collectively we are truly in a better place, and we have a

responsibility to make it work in the future. With that said, we also need Congress to

act. We will continue to push for federal legislation that will support our efforts to ensure a uniform, stable,

and legally sound future. Recently, a bipartisan group of Congress members sponsored the SCORE Act designed

to address issues that threaten college sports, but cannot be solved in the legal settlement in June. Created a

national standard as opposed to state-by-state differences codifies the student athletes right to earn money for

their NIL and is paramount importance in ensuring that all institutions are

operating under the same law. The act also clarifies rulemaking authority around the central tenants

important for the continued integration of college sports in the higher

education setting. As an example of the threats the system faces, college sports cannot withstand

repeated one-off legal challenges to eligibility rules that further separate athletic participation from the

institutional academic mission. Not only is it philosophically contrary

to the educational mission of our institutions, but continued extensions of eligibility threaten the

opportunities for the next generation of college student athletes.

As you know, there are many issues addressed in this comprehensive bill and I applaud the engagement of our national

leaders and look forward to our continued progress

as we further implement the many aspects of the new model. We also remain focused on working with the NCAA and President

Charlie Baker on critical matters including the future of NCA governance. A discussion that has been ongoing for

several years dating back to my service on the constitution and transformation committees.

The NCA board of directors, chaired by Virginia Tech President Tim Sans, and the NCA board of governors, which I have

the privilege of serving on, are focused on the future structure.

Following an incredibly successful first year of the expanded college football playoff, we are looking forward to the

future of this premier event. Earlier this spring, we adjusted the seating and buy policies for the upcoming season,

which were absolutely in the best interest of college football. The

decisions were important to guarantee the five highest ranked conference champions a place in the playoff while

also recognizing performance on the field during the entire regular season

via straight seating. Conversations regarding the CFP structure beyond the upcoming year are ongoing and I

sincerely appreciate the collaborative spirit in which we are moving forward.

We may not always agree and at certain points we have had some strong disagreements,

but we all recognize the importance of coming together to find a solution that is truly best for all of college

football. Fairness and access are paramount just as they are in all other

college sports postseasons. As I begin my remarks about the upcoming

ACC football season, I want to announce two specific conference policies that will be implemented this fall.

In the sports of football and men's and women's basketball, our conference has elevated its expectations around court

and field safety. Members are required to continue developing event security plans which

will now include a review by a third party independently and to ensure that

only participants, coaches, officials, and authorized personnel are allowed in the competition area before, during, and

at the conclusion of any competition. The plan may allow spectators to access

the competition area following a contest, but only after the visiting team and officials have safely exited

the area. With the elevated safety expectations,

it's critical there's critical importance to ensure that adequate time for all members of the visiting team to

safely leave the field of play. In addition to these elevated expectations, there is a corresponding

fine structure in place should a school have a breach in this new policy.

Similarly, in the sports of football, men's and women's basketball, as well as baseball, the ACC will implement a

player availability reporting policy for each conference game. In football, an institution will submit

an availability report two days before each league game with updates one day

before and on game day. All submitted reports will be publicly available on

the acc.com. This decision is directly connected to

our ongoing commitment to best protect our student athletes and our multiaceted approach to addressing the effects of

sports wagering. In this case, it will alleviate pressure from entities or

individuals who are involved in sports wagering that attempt to obtain inside information about availability from

players, coaches, and other staff. Safety has always been taken seriously

by this league, and I applaud our schools for further enhancing and formalizing these important measures.

We are now 32 days away from week zero and the start of the 2025 ACC football

season and 37 days from arguably the most compelling week one in college football history and in

ACC football history that is. Last spring we welcomed three new coaches in

North Carolina's Bill Bich, Stanford's Frank Reich, and Wake Forest's Jake Dickert. Collectively, this is a veteran

group of coaches with multiple national championships and Super Bowl rings, and I look forward to watching all 17 lead

their respective teams this season. Once again, our programs have separated themselves in both scheduling and

attracting preeminent players. We applaud the national conversation around the importance of strength of

schedule in elevating and evaluating teams for the college football playoff.

The ACC continues to embrace this challenge with our teams being intentional and strategic about the

non-conference scheduling to ensure a competitive and meaningful slate of games to complement

the challenging league schedule. ACC football has the strongest non-conference schedule in the country

with 26 non-conference games against power four opponents including Notre Dame which is eight more than any other

league. Whether looking at the non-conference games against teams ranked in the final 2024 CFP rankings or

ESPN's 2025 way too early top 25, our league is leading the way. ACC football

demands excellence every week from every team. Our league is as deep as any and

we witnessed that last season as for the first time in conference history, four different ACC teams won at least 10

games plus a league record and nationleading 13 bowl eligible teams.

That's not an anomaly, it's the new standard, and we expect nothing less this year. And what makes our league

great is the exceptional talent. The ACC once again stands out as the conference

of quarterbacks, and the numbers speak for themselves. This year's group is as deep and as and

talented as we've seen in years with elite signal callers, many here with us

this week. But it's not just about quarterbacks. This league is loaded with explosive playmakers on offense, game

changers on defense, and we all know the value of special teams in this league.

There's not enough time to outline all the meaningful games and rivalries that will take place this season. However,

there's no question all eyes will once again be on this conference. During week one, we're the only league to compete

across five days, Thursday through Monday, and we will once again anchor

Labor Day weekend on Monday night with North Carolina playing host to TCU.

Our teams will also play nationleading seven power four opponents in week one,

all of one of which who have won at least nine games this past season.

Throughout the regular season, ACC football is set to dominate Friday nights. A league record and

nationleading 12 games are scheduled and will feature 12 of our 17 programs.

Fans will never miss a minute of action as our ESPN, ACC Network, and CW

partners will once again cover our teams throughout the entire season. Starting next week, ACCN will embark on

a three-w weekek road trip previewing all 17 ACC programs with 60-minute shows

that air in prime time each weekday. As I said before, being one of only

three conferences with its own network is a differentiator. And in this case, Roadtrip is unique to the ACC as it's

the only college conference network to have this preseason programming. ACC huddles continues to be another

quality initiative which since 2001 has traveled to the site of the ACCN prime

time game. Beginning this season, we are thrilled to announce that ACC Huddle

will now travel to the marquee ACC game each week, beginning with number six LSU

at number two Clemson in week one.

The ACC regular season promises to be a relentless battle as teams will once again compete for the opportunity to

earn a coveted spot in the ACC football championship game played at Bank of America Stadium right here in Charlotte.

This game continues to stand as one of college football's premier events, features the top two teams in the ACC,

and consistently delivers riveting moments and national significance.

In the first 20 games, 14 different ACC programs have competed for the title,

more than any other power four conference. A reflection of the depth, balance, and strength that defines ACC

football. And make no mistake, this event has major national implications.

In 10 of the last 13 seasons, the game's winner has reached the College Football Playoff or National Championship game.

Last year and for the second time in league history, both of our participating ter teams earned a spot in

the CFP, marking the ACC or making the ACC one of only three multi-b leagues.

Please enjoy the next three days as you talk with out with our with our

outstanding coaches and student athletes that are ready to accomplish greatness. I truly believe there's not a more

exciting collection of teams in the country than in the ACC. As I conclude my remarks, I also want to express my

sincere appreciation to each of you for your coverage, attendance, and support of this lead. Now, I'm happy to take any

questions. Thank you. We're going to open it up for questions.

We'll get to as many as we can here before uh our time is up. We're going to

take our first one from over here on the left center aisle. As a reminder, we

have microphone holders that will get the mic to you. if you could please give us your name and affiliation

uh to start things out and then ask your question. Our first one right here from Andrea

other commissioners yet there have been disagreements as you mentioned some of them becoming public over the last few

weeks whether it's the playoff or some other things that are going on in collegiate sports. Your approach has

been different though you've not been public about perhaps some of those disagreements. I'm wondering why you've

taken this approach and why do you feel that approach is best? Good to see you, Andrea. Appreciate the

question. I've always tried to be uh part of

solutions and collaboration. I think some of those things aren't

really meant for the public. um some of those private conversations.

I think all of us have a responsibility to our conference and I certainly feel that way each and every day about the

ACC. But I also know that I have a responsibility to the enterprise um and whether it's

what's happening now with CFP and maybe there'll be another question later on directly about that or what we do with

the new governance structure or how we formulated the CSC. Um, I think I'm pretty strong in my convictions and try

to bring people together and understand that the best way to get a deal done is

to make sure that maybe you have to relent a little bit, maybe you have to give up a few things, but keep your eye

on whatever it is you're trying to achieve. And uh, I'm thankful for that. I really am. And and uh, we'll continue

to lead in that manner. Protect the ACC, but also try to do what's right for college sports.

As a quick followup, you mentioned the CFP and that's where a lot of the disagreements have been. What is the

ACC's position about where you want to see an expanded playoff? And there's as a follow-up to that, there's been

conversation about perhaps staying at 12. How would you feel about that? So, um I think some of my comments have

been have been public relative to the CFP. I I've always believed in

rewarding conference champions and if you're in a really good conference, I

think like we have across the P4 and you're also part of the G6, conference

championships matter and that's been consistent in my five years that they should be rewarded. Fairness and access

should also be part of the equation. And so we have a really good playoff right now. It's the five and seven model. I'm

open to 5'9 and 5'11. I always look to our championships to try to have as much

access as possible. Within reason, it has to make sense. I think five and seven allows about 9% of those that play

college football at the FBS level a chance to get into the playoff and it goes up about a percent and a half. So,

I think you get to nearly 12% if you go to a five and 11 model. Um, I know that

there's questions about selection and selection committee. I have great faith and confidence in those um, committee

members. I've served on the men's basketball selection, women's basketball selection committees. I know how

difficult they that that is. These are honorable, honest individuals with great

integrity. I do like that we're reviewing the protocol for selection and I think that that will help, but I want

to stay committed to access and fairness to all of college football, not only the

ACC, and protect our AQ. So, I look forward to our ongoing conversations, and I understand why other leagues feel

differently about positioning um of the uh of the future format. So, look

forward to some of those um ongoing conversations. Take our next question from over here on

the right hand side middle. Jim David Teal with the Daily Press and Virginia Pilot. You mentioned a fine

structure for schools where security breaches occur with court and field

stormings. What is that fine structure? It's uh 50,000,

100,000 and 200,000. Those will accumulate um through two seasons in

football and basketball. Maybe there's another sport that has an issue. Uh so

those will be compiling. They'll go to the uh the postgraduate scholarship fund

and that's where those dollars will be deposited. But I think paying attention

there, David, is something that we've done privately. We haven't been as publicly about it. It's time. We're

seeing more and more of that happen. Um, and I'm seeing it more and more. We're seeing it more and more in basketball.

Seems to happen a lot to Duke and North Carolina. We have to protect those student athletes in all of our across

all of our 18 programs. So, that along with a third independent third party that reviews our safety protocols is a I

think an important step for the league. Going to take our next question from the second row over here on the right.

Hey Jim Loop, Raleigh News and Observer. Um, in addition to CFP, we've also been

discussing and tableabling repeatedly NCA tournament expansion, uh, basketball, men's basketball, men's and

women's basketball. Has your position on that changed at all? Um, is that a bargaining chip as you work through

these CFP issues with the other conferences? Thank you, Luke. Good to see you this morning. Um, basketball is the crown

jewel of all of our championships, I think. Uh um CFP certainly is really important and draws an awful lot. Uh

ends up being a financial engine for all of us, but I think the country really

enjoys March like nothing else. So we have a responsibility and obligation to

protect it. It's in a really good spot right now at 68. We've had the iterations from 48 64 to 68. Um, I like

what we're doing, Luke, as it relates to looking at it, reviewing it, uh, talking

to coaches, talking to student athletes. Um, logistically, it has to make sense.

The compression of when tournaments finish and then when you have the masters, which obviously with a partner

like CBS, you're not going to change that, you only allows you a certain amount of time to get these games in. So

you can't hastily expand the tournament if you haven't looked at that and player safety and number of games and what it

would mean for travel and how you would work those additional 48. But as I said earlier, I always like additional access

for teams and for schools when it's the right time and when it's the right tournament and format. So we'll look at

it. Overall, I would say uh as I've talked with our coaches and listened to some of the feedback, our men's coaches

are more in favor of expansion. Our women's coaches are more against

expansion. So, it's almost like a split in the conference as it relates to that. So we

we'll we'll continue to work with Charlie Baker who I I would say this. We have a every other week with the power

for commissioners call and Charlie joins us for a portion of that 90-minute call

and he always gives us an update on that and um he continues to do that. We have an upcoming call next week. Um I think

it'd be difficult to push it through this year if it if it if it you know if it expands. Who knows? There's still

time to do that. But I want to do it in a really thoughtful, measured way. Take our next question from the second

aisle on our left. Hey Jim, David Hill with ESPN. Um, I know you talked about the the toughest

non-conference uh schedule of any conference. Uh, but Big 10 has made a big thing about their nineame conference

play. The SEC is discussing that. Do you feel solid that the ACC should stay at eight? Do you feel like it would need to

go to nine if the SEC goes to nine? and and how does that if they go to nine, how does that affect the ability to

schedule big time games? Good morning, Dave. Good to see you as always. Uh we have discussed nine. We've

discussed nine several times in my five years as commissioner. Uh the group has

always felt that at the end of the day, those non-conference games have really been good for the league and we have

really scheduled well. So, it it isn't as if um our league has just kind of

looked aside about strength of schedule. They they have um if you go to nine, if

the SEC ends up going to nine and and uh maybe we we end up going to nine, I

think there's a few challenges. Those rivalry games that we really enjoy, I think that the fans really enjoy, I

think some of those go away. uh and it now focuses more on everybody's

conference schedule than it is a mix of conference schedule and non-conference.

Also, I think it's a challenge for us with an odd number of schools at 17 and and how you exactly work that that out.

So, that that in itself uh there's some difficulty there. And I continue to talk

to Greg and I talk to Tony and Brett all the time. I mean, we have frequent conversations. So, I mean, Nolan's kind

of moving in a vacuum on this. We're we're exchanging, you know, thoughts there. And, uh, we'll see. At the end of

the day, uh, I I like where our league is. I like where where we where we at,

where we're at in eight games because we're playing the type of caliber that I described, 26 really good non-conference

uh, games. But, um, we'll adjust if if we have to. And, uh, I think all of this remains a work in progress.

stay that same place right over there. Um Jim, you you David kind of stole my

question, so he asked it first, so I'm gonna try to spin it a different way. Yeah. Uh with that non-conference

schedule that you have, what are your thoughts on how you balance in strength of schedule? There's a lot of talk about

strength of schedule metrics. How do you balance that in with with the talk of,

you know, if you go to nine games, would these games be discouraged that you're playing in week one?

So, I give Rich Clark and the CFP a lot of credit. We've we've pushed them to it's it's also been the commissioner's

wishes to really look at strength of schedule and what that metric and how

that metric is used in the evaluation and ultimate selection of the CFP. We

started this this is year 12 so 11 years ago and it was a smaller format and over

the course of the last year or so going to 12 has now I think put a greater

emphasis because there's there's more teams that you're looking at and the competitive balance and and uh resumes

start to get blurred a little bit. So, Sports Source Analytics is helping us look at that in a different way and we

had a a really good kind of presentation by them in June when we were in Asheville as commissioners and and then

we had our CFP meeting. So, we have to look at that. I think teams should be rewarded for playing good schedules and

if you're in a really good conference like I feel like we are and others are, you should get rewarded for, you know,

playing good teams within that conference. But you just don't know. every year is just a little bit different about how good teams are. And

with the transfer portal and the movement of student athletes from one school to the next, it's more and more

difficult to really predict how teams are going to be until they start to play. So, it's a, you know, it's a it's

a important element that there's clarity about strength of schedule and strength

of record in the selection process. So, we'll see kind of where that end ends up

going. Um, but now is the time to kind of get that right. And that may that may push us one way or the other with a new,

you know, with a change in format or, you know, to to uh maybe 11 um or seven

um, you know, or or nine. So, it just it we'll see what happens moving forward.

I'm going to switch over here to the right hand side, third row. Ken Gibbs, Locked on Podcast Network.

Um, in terms of the NIL conversation, it is moving in a direction with the

executive orders and all that coming down that there seems to be a very clear delineation on whether or not the

players are classified as student athletes or employees. Are you for or

against either one of those uh labels? And where do you fall in that conversation? Yeah, thank you. Nice to see you this

morning, Kevin. Appreciate the question. One one of the the major facets um that

we're looking at in the score act is this reaffirmation that these are student athletes, that these aren't

employees. Um along with the national standard, some legal protection from

from the onslaught of of uh lawsuits. Um

I had a chance yesterday, as I described, to talk to our student athletes. They understand it. They they

understand. I haven't had one student athlete come up to me to say that they want to be an employee. I think they

appreciate uh being in college, going to school, working critically hard to earn a

valuable degree, and playing a sport at the highest level. It's wonderful that we can now pay our student athletes. I

think it's fantastic how that distribution comes out and who gets those dollars, etern

by schools. But um that's the next step in the I think the modernization of

college sports is to get that reaffirmation that these indeed are student athletes. Thank you for your

question. We're going to go all the way on the lefth hand side. Thanks Brian Murphy with uh

commissioner. Can you assess the rollout of the college sports commission how it's launched and then obviously the

guidance specifically about NIL? Does the ACC support that current guidance and do you expect legal challenges if

that guidance stays in place? CSC Brian? Yeah. Listen,

I think Brian City's done an amazing job in three weeks. I really do. Uh this

thing has happened fast. He's absolutely the right person based on his background at the Department of Justice and Major

League Baseball. But I think there's some really important elements. It's about communication, implementation,

and compliance. And that's that's part of what Brian is trying to do overall.

He's watching the enterprise and he's watching what the settlement agreement has allowed revshare

for the first time and staying within the 20.5 million legitimate NIL

agreements legitimate not pay for play but legitimate where the student athlete is performing something in return for

for the dollars and roster limits which I spoke about a little bit earlier uh in

my remarks. We've taken off some of these restrictions on scholarship limits and

and some of that. So, he's done a really good job and um you know, I go I go back

to why did we want to set this up? It was about setting up standard a

standardized set of rules. It was about transparency which we haven't had in the

NIL era and and uh the ability when we when we began have began having the

ability to pay student athletes and enforcement and that's that's where we're headed as it relates to the case.

Listen, our legal council will continue to work with the class council that's representing the student athletes and

we'll we'll either get to an agreement or or we won't about the interpretation that's been under question. And if we

can't get to a uh a good place coming together, then we'll we'll put it in

front of a judge. But we can't. When I said earlier with the emphasis on

restraint, I meant it. We can't help ourselves sometimes.

People know what the rules are relative to 20.5. They know what legitimate NIL is. You can play in that

gray area if you want, but all that does is undermine a new structure.

Uh, so I really like where we're going. It's not going to be perfect. It shouldn't be expected to be perfect, but

um I wanted I was looking down because I want to I want to give you these notes. I think it's helpful because I talked to Brian within the last 24 hours just so

you know a little bit about like NIL go who's registered. Let me give you these numbers. student athletes 15,519

reps and agents 1970 average daily login about 600 student

athletes a day are getting on NILG go um

approved deals I don't have that number anyway so it's moving and every time we

talk to Brian talking about we meaning the four power four commissioners he's got new updates and the thing continues

continues to get stable and get some traction. So, appreciate the work he's doing. I really like the structure. We

fought hard for the things I just mentioned and uh we'd be well served to just kind of relax and let this thing

settle in. Next question over here on our right hand side, third row. Hi, Commissioner. My name is Michael uh

from Plant the Spear right here. Um you speaking of revenue, uh a lot of

conversation have been around brand exposure, especially with the you know ACC football. um in in conjunction with

its primary media partner, the uh ESPN. Um what is your plan to help increase

brand brand exposure for the ACC football programs? Uh especially in light of the fact that it seems like

your primary media partner has uh placed the ACC as secondary to conferences like

the SEC. Thanks, Michael. Appreciate the question. So, uh, I really like what

we've done. The accomplished greatness has been a about an 18-month project that has had incredible benefits for us.

The brand of the ACC continued can can continue to be elevated. It really, it really can be. May maybe you're

interested in the new chief marketing and branding officer that's open. So, if you are, give me your materials because

we're going to hire somebody that will report to me. Um, and it's something that we've gone through a reorganizational kind of move here in

the last 3 months with our uh office and we're going to we are going to hire somebody from the outside to do that and

I'm excited about that because that is an area that we have to just improve on. But when I look at our partner,

they've been really good to us and you may feel that way and sometimes I may feel that way. Um, but they all they

always react to me and to us when we feel like maybe we're not getting the

same kind of treatment. And one of the things we have to do is we we we got to perform better, too. We can't we can't

go two and 11 in in in in uh postseason bowl games last year. We had 13, which

was incredible, and then we played poorly. So, we have to do our part. We'll continue to work with our partners

at ESPN, but it is a priority as we move forward. Thanks for the question.

Hey, Jim. David Glenn from the North Carolina Sports Network. Uh, the the ACC's legal settlement with Clemson and

Florida State seemed to give those schools a lot of what they were asking for. As you know, when the Big 12 went

to unequal revenue sharing, four schools that kept asking for more were happy for

a little while, but then they all eventually left for the Big 10 or the SEC. My question to you is what was your

sense of how the ACC board or the ACC presidents balanced the desire to end

all those dueling lawsuits with what has been a very extreme pivot away from 70

years plus of pretty equal revenue sharing in the ACC. Thanks David. Appreciate that question.

It was good to run into you earlier too. Um listen, I stand by what I said about

our board. Our board was amazing. Uh, and it goes back to maybe Andrea's first question about trying to collaborate and

maybe you don't get exactly what you want anybody, but you get to a place that's for the greater good. And that's

where I felt, David, it was different because I know what the Florida State and Clemson people were saying and they

said it to the entire group about their desire to be in the ACC and all the rest of that. And I believe them. I really

do. and and and I have a responsibility to make sure that our ACC schools want

to be in this league, not just have to be in this league. And I think that's

important. And again, just replaying five years

ago, one of the things I said was I wanted to make sure that I listened. If you were going to serve the membership,

you had to listen to the membership. And I think that's what we did. And in this particular case, we did that. And we did

it. I thought in a very fair and equitable manner. If you want to earn more money, then you're you're going to

need to invest. And we have two prongs to this thing. You have the the the

overall success initiatives where go perform in football and men's and women's basketball and you will get a

bigger share of the of the revenue from the from the conference than others.

And then viewership ends up being go put a good team together, invest,

play good competition, play good non-conference games, draw attention like last year's game with with Georgia

Tech and and Florida State uh did and others that you know I I listed the the

Clemson LSU game. Um and and go fight for those dollars from a viewership

standpoint. And everybody's going to get a certain level of viewership dollars

which um which again I think there's this there'll be a little bit of te te teeter tottering based on your

performance based on your team and that's healthy. I I really do. It may not fit all leagues or other leagues but

I know that that was part of what was right and a reconciliation for the league. And since we've since we've had

that take place in March, I've not felt stronger about this league than I have

in the last five months. And I mean that. I'm not just saying that. It's not Hyper Bowl and all the rest of that stuff. I really believe that. When you

think about settling those lawsuits and being committed to one another, you talk talk about viewership and success on how

to distribute dollars. You you talk about coming back off of the most revenue we've ever distributed.

29 na 29 national championships sport of football getting better and we

want to take another step this year. The league is situated nicely right now.

Difficult, bumpy, challenging, but let's not let a lazy narrative

from a standpoint of not people not moving on and understanding kind of where we're going. I I I feel like the

the league has earned that. Nobody gave that to us. We were steady. You didn't see us at all move this way or that way.

People said a lot of things about the league, but at the end of the day, that's where we're at. And exercised our

partnership with with ESPN, which everybody said was not going to happen through uh 3536, what gives us a

platform of the ACC for the next decade. Thanks for your question. Couple more. We got one over here.

Oh, sorry. Commissioner, good morning. Eric Spanberg with the Business Journal. I'm curious. Uh you're talking a lot

obviously about revenue and revenue sharing. Here in North Carolina, there

is legislation, suggested legislation that would give uh I think roughly

between 12 and $20 million a year to NC State and UNCC Chapel Hill if it plays out. And I'm curious, are you concerned

or emboldened by that? Uh because obviously different states have different policies on gaming and how the

money is spent. Good to see you, Eric.

Listen, investment in higher education and in athletics. I'm for just am. Every

state has to do what they believe is right. But I commend the state of North Carolina for looking at it in that way

and trying to support those institutions. As I was talking to the student athletes

yesterday, you know, one of the things that I hope they got from me is that

college sports is really important. It allows access and affordability to a

group of young men and women that may not have a chance to access a school or

have it a affordable based on their means from from their home. So, I I hope

more states will support their institutions because it's an investment in those

30 or so student athletes. And no one can tell me that that's not a great investment and especially in this

league, the kind of schools we have and the kind of student athletes we have. Thank you.

Go over here to our left third row. Yeah. Mitch North from SP Nation.

Um, I was just going to ask about the the availability and injury reporting policy that that's new that's coming.

Um, you know, I think sometimes coaches can be a little reserved or secretive about reporting availabilities and

injuries. So, just kind of wondering like how receptive were the coaches in those four sports to this idea and is

there a fine structure um in place if those reports aren't submitted on time

or if they're untruthful? Coaches are hard to change, right? But

when we told them that we were doing it, no one said anything on the call. So, I don't know what that meant

other than they were accepting it. Uh, it's the right thing. It's the right thing. I understand. And every coach has

to do what they have to do in order to get their team ready. And there's always gamesmanship. Always. That's just that's

been around for a hundred years and it's going to continue. Um, but it's the right thing. There's stresses on our

student athletes from individuals that are trying to garner information. And

sometimes it's pretty innocent because they just want to know. They're a big fan, but other times it really does

trickle and lead yourself to the the gambling and sports wagering kind of

path. Um, we haven't come up with a fine policy yet. We're still kind of

discussing that. But we'd also like to think that people are going to do what they're asked to

do. And we we hope that that would it wouldn't come down to that. Uh schools will have to identify who that person is

going to be. For football, it'll be two days before, a day before, and then two hours before kick. Uh for the

basketballs and for baseball, it'll be one day before and then two hours before tip off our first pitch. And uh it's the

right thing. It's the again the modernization of our conference, the modernization of college sports, and the expectations we should have to protect

our student athletes. Over here on the left in the front row, Dan Toro, wake of calldt.com. Jim, how

are you? Hi Dan, good morning. Morning. Just to look at the affordability of this model that we have

in collegiate athletics now. Just what you can say to that. I mean, each school has different resources within the ACC. So the affordability of this model as we

step forward and you said, you know, to exercise restraint just what you see in the world of the transfer portal and if

there should be some more parameters around that. Well, I I've been heartened by the level

of commitment I've seen in our league about people trying to get to the 20.5 uh the sustainability level. I I think

it's got a chance to absolutely work. I really do. And I I think having the cap

and that cap will move up as we go through and more revenues generated at the P4 level and and in college sports

so it won't stay stagnant at just one level. Uh and I think it it's again an

investment in our young people. Those decisions about how much and who

gets it, those end up being campus decisions. I hope this has a positive effect on the transfer portal relative

to a little more stability there. The transfer portal was never ever put together so that a student athlete could

go to four schools in four years. That that that never was the intent, but it got away from us because of legislation

and because of legal disputes and the rest of it. Um, and so I hope that that

ends up um these agreements, these NIL agreements and agreements with the schools, etc. I hope that that will

settle some of that movement away. Student athletes deserve the right to go to the schools that they want for sure.

Um, it shouldn't interfere though with graduation and progress towards degree and all the things we don't even talk

about anymore. We just don't. We've left all of that to the side. So, um, again,

I'm I am optimistic about where this thing is going. I like what we what we ended up doing with the CSC and, uh, I

think the residual that we'll see with transfer portal and movement, I think we'll also settle down to a certain

extent. Tried to get to as many as we could. We're going to take our last question here. Commissioner,

hey Jen, Josh Graham, WSJS. Uh going back to basketball, you referenced the

uh court storming, some recent court stormings leading to the safety policy. Was there a specific instance that led

to those conversations beginning? And also this summer going back from 20 league games to 18 league games per

team. How difficult was it to balance to have flexibility with scheduling versus

trying to protect home and home rivalries? Good to see you, Josh. Uh, I would I

would uh start two-part question. I would start first with you're not only

noticing your own league, but you're noticing other leagues. And you're not only noticing men's basketball, I was noticing women's basketball. I remember

an incident with Caitlyn Clark at Ohio State, right? at Philippowski at Wake

Forest and and I'm not, you know, picking on Wake Forest, but you're asking me about moments where student

athletes really are getting pushed and bumped and tripped and the rest. And

then this past year when I saw it early on in the year, uh, especially couple of

the league games, but then noticing across the country some of the activity that were going on. So, so that that

really spurred this idea of safety. The um the 20 to 18 I I I can I just be

honest with you, I am restless with ACC men's basketball and I'm responsible for

it. I feel responsibility for it, but it's not good enough where it is right now. And I know our coaches feel the

same way. And I felt like going to 18 games allowed us a chance to play two

more competitive non-conference games uh and give us a chance to have a

greater winning percentage. And some of the metrics that they use to select teams when you when you play 20

conference games, games 19 and 20, you're going to have a 500 record across your league no matter what. Uh so I feel

strongly that that's the right thing for us to do. It always has a few unintended

consequences and some of the rivalries and and you just mentioned that that ends up being part of, you know, maybe

what you don't like about it, but it was time for us to do that. We can always go back to 20 if we need to. We're not

we're not going to for a few years for sure because we got to let this thing settle in, see how scheduling goes, see how our teams perform and all the rest

of it. But we need to get back to our rightful place in men's hoops. and and that uh decision was absolutely intended

to try to help our schools do that. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you. Appreciate you. Make sure you

let us know if there's anything that you need here over the course of the uh la next three days and just really

appreciate you being here in the middle of the summer. Thanks.