ACC commissioner Jim Phillips sends clear message to Florida State, Clemson & everyone else
By Scott Roche
The ACC began their Football Media Days on Monday in Charlotte. A sure sign that football is in the air as we close in on August. As is usually the case, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips opened the week by speaking to the media and he didn't hold back when it comes to realignment and the future of the conference.
By now, everyone knows that Florida State and Clemson are seeking to leave the conference, but are finding it difficult to land somewhere else. Things have got rather ugly between the schools and the ACC and Phillips on Monday sent a clear message to not only FSU and Clemson but the rest of the conference.
Jim Phillips doesn't hold back in regards to the future of the ACC
Phillips spoke about the future of the ACC, mentioning "this conference is bigger than any one school or schools," while also saying that you believe in what is in the writing.
"This is a really important time for the conference. Either you believe in what’s been signed or you don’t. We’re going to do everything we can to protect and fight for the league."
- Jim Phillips
Of course, you would expect nothing less from Phillips, but it's clear that he is sending a message to only on Florida State and Clemson, but also the rest of the conference. He also mentioned that "the disputes continue to be extremely damaging, disruptive, and incredibly harmful to the league … The ACC deserves better."
Earlier in the day on Monday, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that multiple sources told him that there were no expectations that Florida State and Clemson were going to notify the ACC that they were planning to leave by the Aug. 15 date set to declare for leaving the conference. We still have a ways to go before that date and things could change, but for now, it appears that both might be staying.
Have been told by multiple sources that there’s no expectation for Florida State or Clemson to notify the ACC they intend to leave by the Aug. 15 deadline to depart after the upcoming year. That’s the deadline to declare intentions to exit for the 2025-26 year.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 22, 2024
If there was one takeaway from Monday and Phillips, it's either you're in or you're out when it comes to the ACC and it was a pretty clear message for all schools to hear and accept.
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