When the shrink wrap finally came off Project Xthe name given to the initiative unveiled earlier this month in which the Southeastern Conference will create its own national television network with ESPNthe announcement brought together a phalanx of high-profile college football coaches and sports executives.
Somewhere in the background, no doubt, were the SEC’s longtime lawyers from Charlotte’s Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson. After all, Robinson Bradshaw corporate and sports licensing partners Robert Fuller and S. Graham Robinson took the lead advising the SEC on the agreement, which runs through 2034 and creates an SECspecific sports channel called the SEC Network scheduled to launch in August 2014. Both Fuller and Robinson, who are known for their sports media expertise, declined to comment on the deal. While the agreement’s financial terms have not been made public, Forbes reports that the television deal is likely the most valuable in college sports.
