[3] Phillips began his career on the coaching side as a basketball team manager and student assistant at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

[5] Phillips began his career in athletics administration as part of the external relations department at Arizona State followed by his service at the University of Tennessee from 1998 to 2000.

[8] During Phillips' tenure at Northwestern University, he was noted for being "a constant presence" at Wildcats games and for his solidarity with athletes.

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Philips in litigation headed by noted Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump [19].

[21] Brendan Marks of The Athletic commented that "one of the key reasons the ACC picked Phillips [...] was his unrelenting belief in the soul of all this: in education, in the value of opportunities for young people, in geographic proximity and regional rivalries that bind our communities together.

[28] In 2024, the ACC announced that it would move forward with a football calendar that included 17 schools and no divisions, and that the number of conference matchups would be increased from 56 to 68.

[32] The ACC currently has the highest number of NCAA tournament wins, and the most appearances in the Final Four, Elite Eight, and Sweet 16 playoffs.

In August 2023, the conference launched the annual "Accomplish Greatness" multimedia campaign, which highlights the ACC's athletic and academic achievements for the year.

[34] The conference launched a program of VIP seating and premium fan experiences in 2024, which are expected to increase revenue from championship games by 5-10%.

[43] Phillips has been described by Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde as "an emphatic Catholic" and "punctilious in the practice of worship" who attends daily mass.

During the 2022 and 2023 Orange Bowl games, the Phillips family volunteered at Camillus House, a charity which benefits the homeless of Miami.