NCAA Concerned About New ‘Religious Freedom’ Law in Indiana
After Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed into law a measure that some say could lead to anti-gay discrimination in the state, the NCAA is expressing concern about the upcoming Final Four basketball games, which will be held in the state’s capital, Indianapolis, next week.
“The NCAA national office and our members are deeply committed to providing an inclusive environment for all our events,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “We are especially concerned about how this legislation could affect our student-athletes and employees.”
Pence, a potential 2016 Republican presidential contender, signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act at a closed-door gathering on Thursday. Under the law, the state government “may not substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion,” and any individual or corporation will be permitted to use religion as a legal defense. Critics, though, say this means the state government is essentially allowing discrimination of LGBT individuals on religious grounds.
“The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action,” Pence said, citing the University of Notre Dame’s opposition to contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
While not threatening to move the location for the Final Four games, Emmert said the NCAA will “work diligently” to ensure that all attendees are not “impacted negatively by this bill.”
“Moving forward, we intend to closely examine the implications of this bill and how it might affect future events as well as our workforce,” Emmert added.
[Image via NCAA]
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