USC athletic director Pat Haden has announced that he will not attend the College Football Playoff committee meeting in Indiana this week as a result of the recent “religious freedom bill” that was signed into law last Thursday.
Haden revealed on Twitter that he has a son who is gay.
I am the proud father of a gay son. In his honor, I will not be attending the CFP committee meeting in Indy this week. #EmbraceDiversity
— Pat Haden (@ADHadenUSC) March 31, 2015
Haden is one of 13 members on the College Football Playoff committee. It is unclear if any of his colleagues also plan to skip the meetings in protest of the new bill.
With the NCAA Final Four scheduled to tip off in Indianapolis later this week, the controversy surrounding the religious freedom bill is not going away. Two prominent basketball analysts and Hall of Famers have already condemned Senate Bill 101, which prohibits state or local governments from substantially burdening a person’s ability to exercise their religion. Opponents of the bill believe this has opened the door for legal discrimination against the LGBT community.
Haden’s situation only scratches the surface.
