UConn Won't Attend Final Four Due to Indiana's Religious Freedom Law

The University of Connecticut announced this week that its men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie will not be traveling to Indianapolis, Indiana to witness the Final Four tournament this weekend due to the state's recent passing of a religious freedom law.

University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst said that the college would not be paying for Ollie and his staff to attend the Final Four tournament after Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy enacted a travel ban on state employees in response to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence last week.

"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," Herbst said in a statement, as reported by USA Today. "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."

Gov. Pence has continued to defend his signing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, saying its purpose is to solidify the protection of First Amendment rights for Indiana citizens. The legislation has received criticism from those who believe it will allow business owners in the state to discriminate against gay people.

The legislation prevents local government from hampering a person's religious beliefs unless they have a compelling interest to do so.

Pence told ABC News over the weekend that those who believe the bill encourages discrimination are misunderstanding the purpose of the legislation.

"This is about protecting religious liberty of people of faith, families of faith," Pence told ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on Sunday.