On Tuesday, University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst announced that coach Kevin Ollie and other members of the UConn coaching staff would not be attending the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.
The decision was made in support of Governor Dannel Malloy’s travel ban on the state of Indiana as well as UConn’s desire to treat all members of its community with respect “regardless of their background and beliefs.”
Here is Herbst’s statement, via Max Reiss and Ari Mason of NECN:
“In support of Governor Malloy’s travel ban to the state of Indiana, Kevin Ollie and other members of the UConn men’s basketball staff will not travel to Indianapolis for the NCAA Final Four and 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.”
Indiana has come under fire due to its recently signed “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” which critics of the law state could allow businesses to discriminate against LGBT people on religious grounds.
NCAA President Mark Emmert has been critical of the bill but he’s also stated that this year’s Final Four will go on in Indianapolis as planned.
“It’s important to us because we’re an employer here in this state. But most importantly … it strikes at the core values” of inclusion and diversity.
…
Nothing is going to happen this weekend at the Final Four that we think is out of the ordinary.”
