The UNC men’s basketball team spent Sunday in Greensboro dispatching of Notre Dame in front of a frenzied crowd after a water crisis forced the game to be moved from Chapel Hill.

UNC head coach Roy Williams said he would have preferred to play in Chapel Hill but that he was happy the fans in Greensboro got to see the game, because it may be their only chance this season.

“I’m glad we were able to take a game here because of that stupid rule that we have in our state that took a lot of great opportunities for people in our state and great athletes that like to do things in our state,” Williams said.

Williams was referring to House Bill 2, which was passed in a one-day special session last March. The law, which advocates have called the worst-piece of anti-LGBT legislation in the nation, requires transgender individuals to use the bathroom in government buildings that matches their birth certificate rather than their gender identity.

The law was also cited by the NCAA as why the organization decided to move championship events from the Tar Heel state. That included moving first and second round matchups of the upcoming NCAA men’s basketball tournament out of Greensboro.

That boycott of North Carolina may extend through at least the spring of 2022, according to a letter sent to North Carolina lawmakers.

The letter was signed by Scott Dupree, the executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and a member of the North Carolina Sports Association.

Dupree warned lawmakers that “North Carolina is on the brink of losing all NCAA Championship events for six consecutive years.”

Dupree wrote that different sites around North Carolina had submitted a total of 133 bids across varying sports for the upcoming NCAA decision cycle. The NCAA will not consider any of those applications, according to the letter.

That exclusion, Dupree wrote, could represent more than $250 million in potential economic impact.

The committee review of applications is set to begin in the next seven to 10 days, according to Dupree, meaning time may be running out for locations across the Tar Heel state to host NCAA championship events.

North Carolina Senate president pro tem Phil Berger issued a statement on Monday blaming the persistence of HB2 on Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who was elected in November. Berger cited a decision by Democrats in the Senate, under the guidance of Cooper, to vote against a repeal of HB2 as it was coupled with another provision that would allow portions of the law to remain.

Cooper released a statement on Monday saying the upcoming deadline form the NCAA means, “there is no time to waste in repealing House Bill 2.”

Cooper called for a clean repeal of HB2, saying there would be enough bipartisan votes to rescind the law.

Berger has said in recent interviews that he does not anticipate a straight repeal of House Bill 2 to be voted on during the ongoing long legislative session.

Related Stories
‹
NCAA Returns Events to NC After State Rolls Back LGBT Law
The NCAA has awarded men’s basketball tournament games in 2020 and 2021 along with several other championship events to North Carolina after the state repealed elements of a law that limited protections for LGBT people and put it at risk of being passed over as a host for future events. The governing body announced decisions […]
NCAA: NC Back in Running to Host Events After Law Change
The NCAA says it will consider North Carolina as a host for championship events again after the state rolled back a law that limited protections for LGBT people. In a statement Tuesday, the governing body said its Board of Governors had reviewed moves to repeal the so-called “bathroom bill” and replace it with a compromise […]
ACC Will Consider North Carolina After HB2 Deal
The Atlantic Coast Conference will once again consider allowing North Carolina to host championship events after a deal regarding the state’s anti-LGBT law was agreed to this week. House Bill 142 was passed and signed into law on Thursday. The deal was agreed to by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and Republican leadership in the state […]
Emmert: NCAA Will Decide Next Week Whether to Return to NC
NCAA leaders need a few days to digest the new law that will replace North Carolina’s so-called “bathroom bill” before deciding whether to bring March Madness and other championship sporting events back to the Tar Heel state. As for other potential political hot spots, such as Texas where lawmakers are considering a similar bill and […]
Event Recruiter: NCAA Deadline Over HB2 in 48 Hours
If North Carolina’s House Bill 2 is not repealed or modified to a level that satisfies the NCAA in the next 48 hours, the organization will exclude the Tar Heel state from hosting championship events through 2022. That is according to the executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance Scott Dupree. Dupree issued a […]
North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference Athletes Plead for Repeal of House Bill 2
North Carolina could be barred from hosting NCAA championship events for the next five years because of the state’s House Bill 2, which advocates maintain is the worst piece of anti-LGBT legislation in the nation. That decision from the NCAA could reportedly happen in the next week. That has caused student-athletes in the Atlantic Coast […]
NCAA Moving Championships from North Carolina Over HB2
The NCAA has announced it is moving all previously awarded championship events from North Carolina during the 2016-2017 academic year over the state’s controversial House Bill 2. The law, which advocates maintain is the worst piece of anti-LGBT legislation in the nation, requires transgender individuals to use the bathroom and changing facility in government-owned buildings […]
North Carolina Laws Curtailing Transgender Rights Prompt Less Backlash Than 2016 ‘Bathroom Bill'
Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and GARY D. ROBERTSON Seven years ago, North Carolina became ground zero in the nationwide fight over transgender rights with the passage of a “bathroom bill” that galvanized culture warriors, canceled business projects and sporting events and influenced a gubernatorial race. And while a similarly Republican-controlled legislature’s enactment this week of a trio of […]
Health Experts, Orange County Officials Share Concern for LGBTQ Wellbeing in Wake of NC Bills
The passage of two bills by the North Carolina General Assembly has drawn condemnation from some elected bodies in Orange County and local pediatric health experts alike for their anti-LGBTQ+ elements. The bills’ sponsors say the elimination of gender-affirming medical care for those under 18, as well as the requirement of educators to alert parents […]
NC Governor’s Order Grants College Athlete Compensation
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has issued an executive order allowing college athletes to earn money off the use of their names, images and likenesses. Cooper’s order, signed Friday, comes one day after an NCAA rule change went into effect allowing athletes to profit from their fame without endangering their eligibility or putting their school in jeopardy […]
›