ACC files lawsuit against Maryland after Terrapins depart for Big Ten

The Atlantic Coast Conference has filed a lawsuit against member school Maryland in a North Carolina court after the school’s announcement last week that it would leave the ACC for the Big Ten.

“We continue to extend our best wishes to the University of Maryland; however, there is the expectation that Maryland will fulfill its exit fee obligation,“ ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement, as reported by The Duke Chronicle. “On Friday, the ACC Council of Presidents made the unanimous decision to file legal action to ensure the enforcement of this obligation.”

According to The Chronicle, the lawsuit is in regards to the $50 million exit fee that the conference imposed on its member schools earlier this year. In the vote that raised the conference’s exit fee, only two schools voted against the measure: Florida State and Maryland.

As CollegeFootballTalk points out, Florida State was rumored to be moving to the Big 12 at the time, and Maryland’s move to the Big Ten took place last week.

This seems to have become a common in the business of realignment, as we have seen the Big East file suit against departing members in the past year. The Big East took such measures against West Virginia before its departure to the Big 12, ultimately allowing the Mountaineers to leave and pay a $5 million exit fee.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_