I thought this was a great resource that helps me from relying solely on memory. The end of the article is quoted:
https://www.tomahawknation.com/florida-s...conference
"Florida State vs. The ACC Timeline
July 8th, 2010: The ACC signs a 12 year media rights deal with ESPN. As Tomahawk Nation previously chronicled and FSU’s complaint confirms, the ACC gave up more media rights and took less money in order to keep Raycom as a media partner. Chad Swofford, son of then-ACC Commissioner John Swofford, was a Raycom executive at the time and still is to this day. Raycom would’ve gone out of business without the lifeline as the company had already lost the rights to broadcast/produce games for the SEC.
May 9th, 2012: The ACC renegotiates the 2010 agreement with ESPN, extending the agreement out to 2027 for slightly more money.
November 19th, 2012: Maryland, a founding member of the ACC, announces it will leave the conference for the Big Ten. Maryland specifically cited the ACC’s lack of revenue in its media deal signed in 2010 as one of the reasons it was leaving the conference.
March 7th, 2013: John Swofford and ESPN make a presentation to the ACC Presidents promising the launch of an ESPN backed ACC Network to help bridge the revenue gap. In order for ESPN to get on board, the ACC schools need to sign a Grant of Right agreement like Big 12 had signed.
April 22nd, 2013: ACC announces all remaining members have signed a Grant of Rights to the conference. The Grant of Rights agreements nor the amended contract with ESPN provide any assurances that ESPN will launch an ACC Network.
June 2016: John Swofford tells the ACC Presidents that ESPN won’t launch the ACC Network until 2019 and they won’t commit to that date unless the Grant of Rights agreement is extended out until 2036. The amended agreement with ESPN does extend the existing contract past 2027 and gives ESPN unilateral authority to extend the deal through 2036.
March 29th, 2019: ACC Network finally launches but doesn’t gain full coverage in ACC markets until August 2021.
November 18th, 2022: Florida State AD Michael Alford gives a presentation to the Florida State Board of Trustees showing Florida State would be in the Top 5 of revenue in the SEC and Big Ten. No comparisons are made to any ACC schools.
February 7th, 2023: Viral tweet from FSU’s official athletics account touting Florida State as having the highest TV viewership in the ACC. Tweets touting FSU’s television ratings continue throughout the 2023 football season.
February 24th, 2023: Florida State AD Michael Alford gives a presentation to the Florida State Board of Trustees showing the growing financial gap between the ACC and SEC/Big Ten. He sums the situation up with “Something has to change”
May 15th, 2023: Just prior to the ACC’s annual meeting news breaks that Florida State, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech were exploring avenues to leave the conference. Dubbed “The Magnificent Seven” the news casts doubt on the conference’s future.
December 21st, 2023: The ACC files a preemptive lawsuit against Florida State in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. News of this doesn’t break until after FSU announces its own lawsuit against the conference the following day.
December 22nd, 2023: Florida State’s Board of Trustees votes unanimously to take legal action against the ACC to challenge the conference’s Grant of Rights.
March 19th, 2024: Clemson files its own lawsuit challenging the ACC Grant of Rights in South Carolina court."
