Breaking: Following NCAA, ACC Moves Championship Games Out of North Carolina Over HB2

Atlantic Coast Conference Says HB2 Inconsistent With ‘Values of Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination’

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has just announced it is pulling all championship games from North Carolina, one day after the NCAA announced it also is pulling all championship games out of the Tar Heel state. The ACC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference.

“As members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the ACC Council of Presidents reaffirmed our collective commitment to uphold the values of equality, diversity, inclusion, and non-discrimination,” the ACC Council of Presidents said in a statement. “Every one of our 15 universities is strongly committed to these values and therefore, we will continue to host ACC Championships at campus sites. We believe North Carolina House Bill 2 is inconsistent with these values, and as a result, we will relocate all neutral site championships for the 2016-17 academic year. All locations will be announced in the future from the conference office.”

Equality NC Executive Director Chris Sgro weighed in.

“Yesterday it was the NCAA. Last month it was the NBA. Today, the ACC – home conference to many of our beloved teams – will take their marquis events out of North Carolina,” said Sgro. “It has never been more clear than it is right now – HB2 is hurting our state every minute that it remains law. It’s hurting our people, our reputation, and our economy. I’m calling on Pat McCrory today – accept responsibility for the legislation you signed. It’s crystal clear that HB2 is bad for us. Stop playing the blame game and clean up this mess you’ve made of our state, because we cannot afford to wait any longer.”

 

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates. 

Image by bradfordst219 via Flickr and a CC license