Sports

Indiana 'Religious Freedom' Bill: NCAA Chief Warily Watching Authors' Promised Clarification

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The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has all but thrown its support behind the opposition to the state of Indiana's controversial "religious freedom" law.

Speaking with ESPN, NCAA President Mark Emmert said he has been closely paying attention to the bill and is prepared to discuss potential avenues in light of a forthcoming clarification. The NCAA is based in Indianapolis and they have several future sporting events scheduled in the city, this year's men's basketball tournament included.

"I'm anxiously awaiting whatever clarification that the legislature can bring forward to this bill so we can really know what it means and what it doesn't mean," Emmert told ESPN's Andy Katz. "As it becomes better understood, we're going to have to sit down and make judgments about whether or not it changes the environment for us doing our work and for us holding events."

GOP lawmakers in the Indiana General Assembly have stated they will clarify the bill, USA Today reported. Signed into law last week by Gov. Mike Pence, its critics believe the law would allow business owners to deny service to homosexuals. The bill's authors since agreed to clarify the bill to put any "misunderstandings" to rest.

"The law has a lot of uncertainty and obviously lacks clarity, but anything that could potentially allow for discrimination and works in a way that is inconsistent with our values for inclusion is something that we're very, very concerned about," Emmert told ESPN. "It does clearly need to be addressed, whether it's a repeal or whether it's some language change that makes it self-evident that there's not discriminatory practices that can be condoned under this model. It's going to be a decision they have to make, but they have to deal with it."

The NCAA moved from Kansas to Indianapolis on a lucrative investment deal and they are now under a lease until 2060, the Indianapolis Star reported. The nonprofit governing body for collegiate athletics currently pays rent on their head quarters in the amount of $1 per year.

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