ACC commissioner on FSU lawsuit: 'It's difficult. It's disruptive. It's harmful.'

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips held a press conference on Wednesday during the ACC spring meeting in Amelia Island.

In the 27-minute conference, Phillips made statements on various topics involving the ACC, such as athletics, revenue, and college expansions. He acknowledged the revenue gap between the Big 10 and SEC, the college football playoff expansion, and where the ACC stands going forward with the new changes.

“This is a seismic shift in college athletics,” Phillips said. “And it’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen, it’s happening now. I think we’re all seeing it. And it just didn’t start in the last few months. It started over the last several years. The reality is we continue to be at the forefront, (and) the ACC continues to be at the forefront of this change with other conferences and other leaders. And we’re navigating these things together as best we can."

Phillips also spoke on FSU's and Clemson's lawsuits against the conference and the ramifications those two suits could have.

While he couldn't comment on the legal side of the case, he expressed optimism about the conference and said nothing has changed with the partnership despite not knowing how it'll end.

"It's difficult. It's disruptive. It's harmful. But that is the world we live in, and they have the ability to do the things that they were doing, and we'll let the legal folks handle it because that's the right thing to do," Phillips said.

ACC's media contract runs through 2036. FSU and Clemson want to exit their deal with the ACC without paying an exit fee. The next hearing has yet to be announced in the Leon County courtroom.

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU vs ACC: Commissioner Jim Phillips opens up about lawsuit