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ACC expansion train slows; ECU on the radar
From staff and wire reports
[ Originally posted 06.12.03. ]
GREENSBORO The drama surrounding the Atlantic Coast
Conference's move to annex three members from the Big East grew more complex
Wednesday.
The ACC schools' chief executives deliberated but declined
for the second day in a row to formally endorse the plan, while the Big East
applied pressure on two fronts in an attempt to derail the expansion train.
While the ACC pondered its next move, ESPN.com reported that
East Carolina is among four candidates ECU, Cincinnati, Central Florida
and South Florida to join Louisville in migrating to the Big East if a
shakeup occurs.
Two of the four schools would be invited to accompany the
Cardinals into a new league configuration modeled on a plan first proposed
by former Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt, according
to the report.
No vote will be taken on ACC expansion until at least next
week after the presidents and chancellors of the league's schools failed to
reach a consensus on the plan in five hours of talks over two days.
Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford said after the 2½-hour
teleconference Wednesday night a few schools still had concerns over student
welfare. However, he said the lack of a vote wasn't a sign the plan to add
Miami, Syracuse and Boston College of the Big East to the nine-team league
was falling apart.
"When you talk about minor or small things that's in the eye of the
beholder," Swofford said of divisional alignment or travel costs, two
concerns of Duke and North Carolina. "Certain things are more important to
some presidents than they are to other presidents.
"We've never put a time frame on when we would be voting other than to say
that's up to the presidents when they reach that point."
Swofford said another conference call involving himself and the ACC
leadership would be no sooner than early next week.
"There are some things they want to think about that we talked through today
in regard to some details," he said. "I don't think it's a step backward in
the process."
The three Big East schools have to pay a $1 million exit fee. If they leave
after June 30, that figure doubles.
"The only thing that we've ever said about the end of the process is we felt
like it would be completed by the end of this month," Swofford said when
pressed on a timetable. "There seemed to be some expectation coming back
from the site visits that there would be an immediate vote. Those were
outside expectations, not internal expectations."
Site visits to Miami, Syracuse and Boston College by ACC leaders were
completed last week.
The presidents of the three Big East schools participated in Tuesday's
conference call, but did not on Wednesday, Swofford said.
Earlier Wednesday, Big East presidents sent letters to their ACC
counterparts seeking a meeting about their expansion plans and urging them
not to "rush to judgment."
The Big East schools want to know more about the plans to invite the three
schools so the presidents asked Clemson's James Barker, the chair of the ACC
presidents, to arrange the meeting.
"We feel quite certain that no ACC president or chancellor would want to
rush to judgment on such a potentially harmful plan without having complete
information, and we believe we have insights to share that could not be
effectively communicated by anyone else," the Big East presidents wrote in
the letter obtained first by the Associated Press.
ACC leaders received the letter just hours before they held the second
teleconference and Swofford said the letter was not discussed in the call.
"We are now requesting that you work with us to arrange for a discussion,"
the letter said. "We do so respectfully and in the spirit of collegiality
and open communication that has long been one of the hallmarks of American
higher education."
The letter is the next step in the Big East's attempt to stop the ACC
expansion plan, which would take it from nine to 12 teams and strip the Big
East of three of its core football schools.
Last Friday, the five football schools that would be left behind
Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Rutgers sued
the ACC, Miami and BC, seeking millions in damages and an injunction against
expansion.
The letter, from the presidents of the five schools, was the latest
indication that the Big East is still interested in resolving the matter
without going to court. On Tuesday, Big East presidents held a conference
call with media in which they urged the NCAA or another impartial party to
mediate.
Attorneys for the Big East contacted Swofford and the presidents and
athletic directors of the ACC schools, along with Miami, Boston College and
Syracuse, notifying them that they wanted to take their depositions for the
lawsuit.
Also Wednesday, the attorney general for Connecticut, where the lawsuit was
filed, sent a letter to lawyers for the ACC, Miami and Boston College
demanding they turn over a variety of documents and memos related to any
communication among the schools and conference regarding the expansion.
Attorney general Richard Blumenthal said he initially made the request on
Monday but got no response. He said he will bring further legal action if he
does not hear from the defendants' attorneys by noon Thursday.
Copyright 2003
Bonesville.net. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:36:37 AM
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