Marshall settles lawsuit with Conference USA

By Bill Cornwell

Marshall University’s athletic teams are officially moving to a new conference this fall.

Conference USA, along with Marshall, Southern Miss and Old Dominion, announced Tuesday evening that have reached a resolution in a lawsuit brought against C-USA by the schools seeking an early release from their league obligations in order to join the Sun Belt Conference.

The schools will officially  join the Sun Belt on July 1st, 2022.

Conference USA and the three departing schools released a statement confirming the lawsuit settlement: “Conference USA, Marshall University, Old Dominion University, and the University of Southern Mississippi have reached a resolution that allows the schools to withdraw as members at the end of the academic year. Conference USA will move forward into the 2022-23 academic year with 11 members. The Universities will compete as members of the Sun Belt Conference.”

Conference USA later released an additional statement: “Conference USA is excited about the future with our 11 institutions in the 2022-23 academic year, and is committed to the long-term growth of the league as we usher in new members in the coming years. As we begin this new era of Conference USA, our focus remains on providing the best possible experiences for our student-athletes while engaging in the broader national conversation and process around changing the overall model. The landscape of college athletics has shifted expansively and we will continue to be a substantial part of that evolution.”

Media reports say that the three schools will pay Conference USA around two-million dollars each to allow their departure.

Marshall, Southern Miss and Old Dominion initially announced plans to move to the Sun Belt last fall, but indicated the move wouldn’t take place until the 2023-2024 school year.

The legal settlement came after Marshall and the other departing schools sued Conference USA over the league’s demand that their departure be settled through arbitration. Marshall had received a temporary restraining order in Cabell County Circuit Court blocking that arbitration demand.

Marshall said at the time of its announcement of the conference move that being a part of the Sun Belt would result in savings in travel costs and restore long-standing rivalries with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern which started in the 1980s and 1990s when the schools belonged to the Southern Conference.

Marshall’s first Sun Belt football game is scheduled for September 24th at Troy. MU’s first Sun Belt home game will be an October 12th nationally-televised game with Louisiana. The teams met last December in the R and L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, with the Ragin’ Cajuns taking a 36-21 win over the Thundering Herd. Marshall will also host Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and Georgia State in league games next fall.

Conference USA will see further membership changes after the next academic year as Charlotte, UAB, North Texas, Rice, Florida Atlantic and UTSA join the American Athletic Conference. C-USA will add Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State as new members in fall 2023.





More Sports

Sports
Beanie Bishop posts top 40-yard dash time at Big 12 Pro Day
March 29, 2024 - 1:21 am
Sports
Herbert Hoover improves to 10-0 with 2-1 win over Hurricane
The Huskies collected a pair of victories Thursday in the Guard the Capital Invitational in Charleston.
March 29, 2024 - 12:51 am
Sports
Independence bests Wahama, 10-2 in the Guard the Capital Tournament
March 28, 2024 - 9:03 pm
Sports
Photo gallery: University defeats Bridgeport, 12-3
March 28, 2024 - 6:24 pm