Jim Phillips Says It's Time To Play Football; Time for a Reset In College Sports

By Scott Salomon

Nothing says let's kick the ball off like a good conversation about complex civil litigation.

At the ACC Kickoff last week, Commissioner Jim Phillips discussed the growth of the conference. He also discussed the lawsuits filed by Florida State and Clemson to get out of the conference.

"[The ACC] have had six months of disruptions, and I think we have handled it incredibly well. I think it's important to me to lead our group in particular and not only our staff but our schools to compartmentalize the legal piece of what is happening and not let it distract us or take us away from what we are trying to do and that is provide great experience for student athletes, teams, and coaches," Phillips said. "We are have proven that you have to move forward even with these type of distractions and really important issues that are apart of daily lives."

Phillips then discussed the elephant in the living room; the contract with ESPN and the ACC. He is hoping that ESPN extends through 2036. He said the relationship with ESPN and the ACC Network has never been better.

The contract seems to be the catalyst for the litigation. FSU and Clemson do not want to be bound by the contract. They are seeking a court of competent jurisdiction to release them from their contractual agreements with the ACC. Phillips said FSU and Clemson are still part of the ACC. And their players are to be treated the same as players at any other institution.

"[When the lawsuit came] I grabbed the staff and told them that we will not be treating any school any differently, because the student-athletes have nothing to do with this, the coaches have nothing to do with this. We owe the men and women at those two schools the best experience possible," Phillips said. "This thing doesn't have to be evil, this doesn't have to be about hatred. It is important and we have taken out stance and we will stay on that stance and will do it in a respectful way."

Phillips also took time to mention, Cal, SMU, and Stanford. He welcomed their coaches and players to the ACC. This is their first year participating at the Kickoff and in the ACC.

"We're thrilled to have Cal, SMU, and Stanford join the ACC. With our 18 world-class member institutions, the league's profile is only enhanced academically and athletically," Phillips said. "Our footprint is now national, spanning coast to coast. The ACC has a presence in each of the five most populated states in the country. No other Power Four conference is in more than two. In addition, the ACC footprint now includes four of the 10 largest DMAs."

Phillips wants to move past the eventful offseason and return to the gridiron. And who can blame him? The future of the ACC may be determined by how the teams, especially the new additions play on the field and what their TV viewership looks like.