Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Jim Phillips did not answer questions on Tuesday about the hazing scandal at Northwestern University, citing ongoing litigation.
Before he became commissioner of the ACC in 2021, Phillips was the director of athletics at Northwestern for 13 years. In the wake of the hazing scandal at the university in Evanston, Illinois, longtime Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired and several lawsuits have been filed against the school — three of which name Phillips as a defendant.
“This is a very difficult time for the Northwestern community, and my heart goes out to any person who carries the burden of mistreatment or who has been harmed in any way,” Phillips said. “During my 30-year career in college athletics, my highest priority has always been the health and safety of all student-athletes. As you know, with this matter in litigation, I’m unable to share anything more at this time.”
Phillips was speaking at the Westin hotel in Charlotte at the ACC Kickoff, the conference’s annual media event ahead of football season.
In a statement last week, Phillips said he never “condoned or tolerated inappropriate conduct” against athletes while he was the AD at Northwestern.
Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump is part of the legal team for one of the plaintiffs. Crump said Monday that he expects more than 30 lawsuits to be filed by former Northwestern athletes. Crump called it a “Me Too movement” in college sports.
On Monday, a former Northwestern volleyball player also filed suit against the school, alleging hazing. Northwestern also fired baseball coach Jim Foster earlier this month, following reports of a toxic culture within the program.
Instead of talking in detail about Northwestern on Tuesday, Phillips filibustered a bit and boasted about the ACC’s accomplishments and talked up its relationships with its media partners.
"The bottom line is our conference is strong and I'm extremely bullish about our future together,” Phillips said.
Phillips said that he has “never felt better” about the ACC’s relationship with sports media giant ESPN, and that the two are “completely motivated together to generate additional dollars.” Phillips also said he’s “thrilled” with the national distribution of the ACC’s newest television partner, the CW, which will broadcast 13 ACC football games this fall.
“CW is getting into sports, et cetera. They have LIV Golf, and that's getting a lot of attention for different reasons, but we are really excited about that,” Phillips said.
