FSU – ACC Lawsuit: Seminoles Predicted to Avoid $430 Million Hit After Winning Mini Battle in Court

The feud between the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Florida State Seminoles is coming to its dramatic end. With one of the biggest legal battles in the history of the NCAA, Florida had been involved in a standoff with the ACC for quite a long time. Now, with the recent update, it looks like they have finally won over the ACC and won’t be compelled to pay any heavy sum.

The ACC’s agreement bound the Seminoles to the league for the next 12 years, with over half a billion dollars in fees for leaving and making the first move towards a potential exit. The suit was filed against the ACC and if Florida chose to leave, they would be fined over $572 million if they ended up breaking the grant-of-rights agreement. While the battle hasn’t ended, Mike Norvell’s team will have a cause to celebrate their mini-win against the ACC.

The Florida State Seminoles just had their first win over the ACC lawsuit

As per recent reports, the ACC has announced that FSU will be allowed to buy back their television rights and finally exit the conference. Additionally, the ACC will be looking to negotiate with the school, which is a huge win for the team.

Though the Seminoles will still have to pay a settlement fee of an estimated 100 million dollars, the amount will be a lot less than the initially proposed amount of $430 million, which would have been enforced if the Grant of Rights agreement were proved to be valid. Florida’s move from the ACC is expected to take place before the 2026 season and the fans couldn’t be more ecstatic about their glory. With all that said, here’s a look at the role that John Swofford played in the entire lawsuit.

Why did the Seminoles go after former commissioner John Swofford?

While the initial battle was between the ACC and the FSU, Mike Norvell’s team shifted their attention to John Swofford, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference from 1997 to 2021. The Seminoles filed a legal complaint against the ACC that alleged John Swofford had cost member schools millions in damages by being partial towards his son’s best interests, who was a part of Raycom Sports, the television partner.

In response to these claims, the ACC issued a statement that seemed to refute all these claims. They said, “Florida State is improperly using this Court to air decades-old insinuations (apparently solely from an old news article) about former ACC Commissioner Swofford and his son while simultaneously seeking an impermissible advisory opinion about decades-old contractual provisions that it may never invoke.” 

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 Though the matter was put to rest later, it is important to note that there was a tinge of controversy attached to Swofford’s name that will tarnish the ACC’s legacy. Will the FSU be made to pay a heavy settlement fee or be let off scot-free? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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