Jim Phillips: ‘This Conference Is Bigger Than Any One School – Or Schools’ [Video]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jim Phillips is often as much politician as commissioner, carefully choosing his words in a prepared state of the league address that he delivered on Monday to media at the ACC Kickoff event.

But Phillips’ tone was forceful when he commented during his press conference about the FSU-ACC and Clemson-ACC lawsuits, and the existence of those in multiple states. Phillips said he has been consistent in his comments since December, but he closed one response from a writer with what could be viewed as quite the zinger: “This conference is bigger than any one school — or schools.”

Phillips has previously called the lawsuits disruptive but said Monday the relationships between the ACC office to FSU president Richard McCullough and Clemson president Jim Clements have been preserved. He pledged again that athletes would not be impacted by the legal filings or the court room drama, although the …