Multiple conferences have reportedly joined the ACC in its lawsuit attempting to protect the conference’s TV deals with ESPN.
According to a report from Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday morning, three power conferences — the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 — have joined with the ACC in opposing the release of ACC-ESPN contracts.
It’s a response to the lawsuit last month by the Florida Attorney General, who sued, saying those contracts are public records.
Per the report from Baker:
Their unity came through court filings Wednesday in response to a complaint by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody last month. Moody accused the ACC of breaking Florida’s public records law by not providing a copy of the league’s TV contracts with ESPN. Those documents are potentially relevant in the ongoing dueling lawsuits between Florida State and the ACC as the Seminoles consider leaving the league.
The ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 argued in Leon County Circuit Court records that the documents must remain confidential to protect trade secrets.
Though some financial details have become public, the ACC said the ESPN contracts have other trade secrets, too — everything from how football broadcasts are selected to operational costs, sponsorship information, signage, future payouts and “conference composition provisions.”
“Kept confidential, they plainly confer the ACC a competitive advantage and benefit,” the filing said.
As Baker noted, the ESPN contracts are an important part of the ongoing lawsuits between FSU and the ACC, and between Clemson and the ACC:
As the cases proceed, a judge (or judges) will have to interpret those contracts and a related document, the grant of rights, to determine who owns the TV rights if the Seminoles and Tigers leave the ACC before 2036. If the TV rights belong to the schools, their only exit cost would be a $140 million fee. If the rights belong to the conference, FSU estimates the total price tag is at least $572 million and maybe as much as $700 million.
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