These are the telling signals in the most recent ACC court filing, as reported by Matt Baker in Tampa Bay Times (02-16): "If Florida State wishes to regain control of the rights before the end of the term, it could attempt to repurchase them," the filing said. "But having to buy back a right which was assigned is not a penalty; it is simply a commercial possibility.” First, this is the announcement to anyone interested that The ACC is willing to settle out of court. That has not been part of the discussion until now. Second, they make the point that buying back the rights is not a penalty. Why do they say that out-of-the-blue? It’s because the exit fee is liquidated damages and would probably preclude the seeking of further damages. If the conference tries to attach future media money to the value of the FSU rights, it may look as though they are calculating damages. So... the value of the FSU rights will be determined… how? The rights were assigned without monetary payment. So, what is their value? Well, what is their function? I would say that the GoR is just an instrument that gives some sense of stability to the media company who wishes to invest in ACC content. It’s akin to buying an airline ticket at the higher price because it allows changes of travel dates without penalty and earns bonus miles. But most of the value is just securing a seat on the flight, just as most of the value for The ACC is bundling ACC football content. Does FSU really have damning accusations that they could weaponize in a trial? I surely don’t know. And maybe the conference doesn’t even know. But the conference might know if such problems exist. Has FSU shared this information with other schools or are they using it as their own lever? Could this compel the conference to settle quickly and bury the threatening secrets? All speculation, but these are the reasons I think FSU will escape The ACC much more cheaply than others have predicted. ** Edited by 33laszlo99 at 2/21/2024, 9:47:52 PM