Boston College Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo confirmed today what many have suspected. He has been active in trying to prevent UConn from joining the ACC during the latest round of conference expansion.
When Boston College split from the Big East back in 2004, the divorce was...messy. The remaining members of the Big East sued BC (along with fellow departed's Virginia Tech and Miami) for "conspiring to diminish the Big East". The lawsuit was led by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on behalf of University of Connecticut.
It appears that the actions of Blumenthal and UConn may be coming back to haunt them. While DeFilippo said that the move to block UConn was based more on geographical concerns than any lingering bad blood from the lawsuit and harsh words coming from the school, it's hard to believe that it isn't at least playing a role.
Reportedly, the school was active in pushing the expansion committee toward Pittsburgh as a 14th member based on the Panthers football legacy and their (dormant) rivalry with the Eagles.