Indianapolis (AP) — NCAA President Mark Emmert said April 2 the association is “very pleased” with revisions to Indiana’s religious objections law that critics feared would lead to discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Indiana lawmakers unveiled an amended bill earlier in the morning. They still need approval from the Legislature and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
The NCAA, based in Indianapolis, was among the first to express concern about the law when it was passed last week. The Final Four is being held in Indianapolis this weekend and Emmert said the NCAA would consider moving future events out of state if the law wasn’t revised.
The women’s Final Four is scheduled to be held in Indianapolis next year.
Emmert is scheduled to hold a news conference the afternoon of April 2.
Final Four sites are set years in advance, though Indianapolis is penciled in for one every five years in both the men’s and women’s tournaments as part of an agreement between the city and the NCAA.
Next year, as part of the 35th anniversary of NCAA women’s basketball, the Division II and III championships will also be held in Indianapolis. That would make moving the event more complicated, but not impossible.
