TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody has obtained media contracts previously withheld from Florida State University (FSU) by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). These documents are central to FSU’s ongoing dispute with the ACC regarding the university's rights should it decide to leave the conference. As a result of Attorney General Moody’s legal action, the ACC has released six redacted media rights contracts and related documents.
"In a victory for transparency, the ACC has made documents available that are at the center of FSU’s legal fight with the conference," said Attorney General Ashley Moody. "These previously withheld contracts are vitally important to understanding why the ACC wants to impose large fines on a Florida university if it leaves the conference."
Attorney General Moody recently initiated legal proceedings against the ACC for allegedly wrongfully withholding public records. According to Moody, under secret media rights contracts located at its North Carolina headquarters, the ACC claimed it would cost FSU more than half a billion dollars to exit. The conference had previously refused to provide these documents for review, necessitating that representatives from FSU travel hundreds of miles with a chaperone, incurring significant public expenses.
Following Attorney General Moody’s actions, the ACC provided Florida with several redacted documents in compliance with the Florida Public Records Act:
- 2010 ACC Multi-Media Agreement
- 2012 Amendment and Extension Agreement
- 2014 Second Amendment to Multi-Media Agreement
- 2016 Amended and Restated ACC-ESPN Multi-Media Agreement
- ACC-ESPN Network Agreement (2016)
- Letter Amendment to Amended and Restated Multi-Media Agreement (August 10, 2021)
The provided documents contain redactions of exempt or confidential material. The Florida Attorney General’s Office is currently reviewing these redactions and media agreements.
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