Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced on Tuesday that she is launching an antitrust investigation into the College Football Playoff committee and its recent decisionto keep Florida State University out of the playoffs.
FSU finished the season unbeaten and yet, the playoff committee didn’t include the team in the tournament for the national championship. Moody posted a video on her social media, announcing her investigation into the committee.
"In Florida, merit matters," Moody said in a video announcement in front of Doak Campbell Stadium. "If it’s attention they were looking for, the CFP Committee certainly has our attention now."
Moody’s team is demanding the committee hand over documents, votes, and any other information used to make its decision.
“The NCAA conferences and the college football playoff selection committee are subject to antitrust laws. We are launching an investigation to examine if the committee was involved in any antitrust conduct in its unprecedented decision.”
Afterward, College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock issued a statement:
"We will carefully review this demand for information, but it sure seems to be an overly aggressive reaction to a college football ranking in which some fans somewhere were bound to be disappointed."
The committee will have until Dec. 26 to begin answering, with a final deadline of Jan. 11th. If the committee decides not to, then it could be hit with a third degree felony.
I’m a lifelong Gator, but I’m also the Florida Attorney General, and I know injustice when I see it. That is why we are fighting for the #Unconquered @FSUFootball team and demanding answers from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
— AG Ashley Moody (@AGAshleyMoody) December 12, 2023
In Florida, merit matters. If it’s… pic.twitter.com/DFlh7mmLWD
Moody is the latest state official to target the CFP. Last week, State Senator Corey Simon and U.S. Florida Senator Rick Scott slammed the committeefor its decision to exclude Florida State from the playoffs. Governor Ron DeSantis is also asking lawmakers to set $1 million aside for a potential legal battle against the College Football Playoffs.
Moody's office seeks multiple communications, including, but not limited to:
- All communications relating to deliberations to or from the SEC, ACC, NCAA, ESPN, Group of Five conferences, Power Five conferences or any other person relating to the deliberations;
- All documents relating to public statements relating to the deliberations, including media talking points and interview notes;
- Documents relating to restrictions of the Conferences against having alternate playoff schedules;
- Documents showing compensation of members in 2023;
- Documents sufficient to show all recusals of Committee members from deliberations; and
- The Committee’s standards relating to ethics and conflicts of interest.
Click here, to read the full 10-page subpoena.
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