:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50841905/171505628.0.jpg)
Editor’s Note: We understand that this is outside of our normal realm of topics. This does apply to Wake Forest, so we thought it was pertinent to cover it. PLEASE be respectful in the comment section to each other. Any comments that cross the line will be immediately deleted and future repercussions may apply as well.
The ACC announced today that all 2016-2017 neutral-site championships will be pulled out of North Carolina due to concerns over House Bill 2.
This includes the: Women’s Soccer Tournament, ACC Football Title Game, Men’s & Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Women’s Basketball Tournament , Men’s & Women’s Tennis Championships, Women’s & Men’s Golf Tournament.
There have been no locations released for any of these events, as many of them are probably being discussed thoroughly as we speak. I will note that the phrasing states all “neutral-site championships”, and does not remove any tournaments or championship games from campus sites.
I would also guess that John Swofford has already put into place a backup plan for the ACC Football Championship Game on December 3rd.
A press release from the ACC itself stated the following reasoning for removing these championship events from NC:
Statement from the ACC Council of Presidents:
“As members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the ACC Council of Presidents reaffirmed our collective commitment to uphold the values of equality, diversity, inclusion and non-discrimination. Every one of our 15 universities is strongly committed to these values and therefore, we will continue to host ACC Championships at campus sites. We believe North Carolina House Bill 2 is inconsistent with these values, and as a result, we will relocate all neutral site championships for the 2016-17 academic year. All locations will be announced in the future from the conference office.”
Statement from ACC Commissioner John Swofford:
“The ACC Council of Presidents made it clear that the core values of this league are of the utmost importance, and the opposition to any form of discrimination is paramount. Today’s decision is one of principle, and while this decision is the right one, we recognize there will be individuals and communities that are supportive of our values as well as our championship sites that will be negatively affected. Hopefully, there will be opportunities beyond 2016-17 for North Carolina neutral sites to be awarded championships.”