Florida AG launches antitrust investigation after NFL snub of football

Modi, the state’s top legal officer, has the authority to initiate antitrust investigations and the authority to take legal action against companies, organizations and individuals who are alleged to have committed state or federal antitrust actions. She said the investigation would examine whether the selection committee was involved in “any anti-competitive behaviour”.

“As it stands, the committee’s decision reeks of bias, so we are demanding answers — not just for FSU, but for all schools, teams and fans of college football,” Moody said. “In Florida, merit matters. If that’s the attention they were looking for, the commission certainly has our attention now.”

The letter sent to the commission says the investigation will look into “potential contracts, combinations, or conspiracies to restrain trade, monopolize, or attempt to monopolize or trade, with respect to the anticompetitive effects of the College Football Playoffs on the Big Five and Power Five conferences.” Conferences.” There are 10 primary conferences at the highest level of college football, including conferences like the ACC and SEC that are part of the “Power 5.”

“We will carefully review this request for information, but it certainly appears to be an overly aggressive response to the College Football Playoff rankings where it was inevitable that some fans somewhere would be disappointed,” College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said.

He made his position on the College Football Playoffs clear. “We respect Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and look forward to the outcome of her investigation.”

“We look forward to an outcome,” said Dennis Schnitker, associate vice president for university communications at Florida State University [Moody’s] a question.”

FSU went 13-0 this past season, including a win in the ACC Championship game. But the Seminoles became the first undefeated team from a “Power 5” conference to be denied the opportunity to play in the four-team playoff. The selection committee announced earlier this month that it had selected two one-loss teams — Texas and Alabama — ahead of the Seminoles.

The decision angered the FFA fan base because the chairman of the selection committee said the decision was partly based on an injury to the FFA star midfielder. Many Florida politicians — including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican Sen. Rick Scott — have rushed to defend the USSR. Some have wondered if there is pressure to include Alabama from the SEC since the conference recently signed a $3 billion television contract with ESPN, the cable network that broadcasts playoff games.

Although DeSantis acknowledged there was not much that could be done before the two playoff games scheduled for New Year’s Day, he recommended $1 million in his proposed budget in case of a potential lawsuit. Scott sent his own letter on US Senate letterhead asking the select committee to hand over the information. Scott he said in a social media post On Monday he had not received a response.

“If they truly feel they made the best decision, why can’t they be transparent? What are they afraid of?” Scott said.

Politicians from other states, such as Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), took issue with Florida officials’ complaints, as did several top ESPN TV celebrities. Tuberville, a former college football coach who led Auburn to an undefeated season, He told The Hill it was a “waste of time.” To request the selection committee to hand over the records.

FSU’s season included wins over two SEC teams, Louisiana State and the University of Florida, as well as wins over ACC rivals Clemson and Miami. The team’s starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, suffered a season-ending leg injury in mid-November. FSU still defeated the Florida Gators a week later with a backup quarterback and finished fourth in the penultimate playoff rankings. But the team had to turn to a third-string quarterback for the championship game against Louisville.

However, after the win, the selection committee dropped FSU after Alabama beat national champion Georgia in the SEC Championship. Alabama had lost earlier in the season to Texas, which the committee placed in third place.

Moody has asked the selection committee to hand over all documents no later than January 11 but as soon as December 26. The lengthy request not only covers communications between the commission, the NCAA, ESPN and the conferences, but also documents such as voting papers and details of financial guarantees. The Florida Attorney General is also seeking any recordings or audio recordings of the meetings and information on compensation paid to committee members.