Quote:Pat Haden, the athletic director at the University of Southern California, will skip a meeting of the College Football Playoff committee this week in Indiana because of the state’s recent passage of a controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
 
“I am the proud father of a gay son,” Haden announced on Twitter. “In his honor, I will not be attending the CFP committee meeting in Indy this week. #EmbraceDiversity”
 
The religious freedom bill, which will take effect in July, has provoked a firestorm of criticism with one of the NCAA’s marquee events, the men’s Final Four, coming to Indianapolis this weekend. On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Pence ® promised that the state would clarify the bill to ensure that businesses do not discriminate against gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals. He defended the law, adding that it was being unfairly portrayed in the media, but urged the legislature to take further action this week.
 
“We need to focus specifically on this perception that this creates some license to discriminate,” he said at a news conference in Indianapolis.