Looking to make a strong stand against the controversial Indiana Religious Freedom and Restoration Act that governor Mike Pence signed into law last week, the defending champion Connecticut Huskies will not be traveling to Indianapolis for next weekend’s Final Four.
Here’s a statement from the school.
In support of Governor Milloy’s travel ban to the state of Indiana, Kevin Ollie and other members of UConn men’s basketball staff will not travel to Indianapolis for the NCAA Final Four and the events surrounding it.
UConn is a community that values all of our members and treats each person with the same degree of respect, regardless of their background and beliefs and we will not tolerate any other behavior.
Some may see this as a slap in the face to the four teams participating in the Final Four. And in reality, UConn would likely be singing a different tune if it were actually defending its title this upcoming weekend.
With that said, the bill has caused a ton of backlash against the state of Indiana around the sports world, the NCAA specifically. It is seen by some as taking basic rights away from the LGBT community.
Not having the defending champs on hand for what promises to be an electric weekend of basketball in Indiana is a big deal. That much cannot be denied.
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