


The Atlantic Coast Conference, Clemson and Florida State have approved a settlement that would end their legal fights, change the league’s revenue-distribution model and revise the long-term costs for a school to leave the conference.
Trustees at Clemson and FSU both signed off on the deal in Tuesday meetings. That came shortly after the ACC’s Board of Directors — made up of university presidents and chancellors — gave its OK.
Most notably, the revenue-distribution model will now incorporate TV viewership as a way for the league’s top programs to generate more revenue. It also provides a clarity on the league’s exit fee and grant-of-rights agreement that runs through the ACC’s TV deal with ESPN through 2036.
Specifically, a slideshow during a presentation to Clemson’s trustees reported the exit fee would be $165 million for the 2026 fiscal year, but would descend by $18 million per year until leveling off around $75 million for the 2030-31 season.