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ACC pulls athletic championships from North Carolina

<p>Higher-ups from the Atlantic Coast Conference said Wednesday they, too, are <a href="http://www.theacc.com/news/statements-from-the-atlantic-coast-conference-09-14-2016" target="_blank">moving their "neutral site championships" out of North Carolina</a> for the 2016-2017 academic year because of the state's controversial House Bill 2. </p><p>The National Collegiate Athletic Association decided Monday to <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/ncaa-relocate-championships-north-carolina-2016-17" target="_blank">move seven scheduled championships</a> out of the state for the exact same reason. </p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/ncaa-pulls-march-madness-games-over-north-carolina-s-hb2/">The NCAA's Opposition To HB2 Is Giving North Carolina March Sadness</a></b></p><p>This is a pretty big move because the ACC is pretty much a North Carolina institution.</p><p>The conference was founded in Greensboro, North Carolina. The conference headquarters is in Greensboro as is the conference's hall of fame, known as the ACC Hall of Champions. </p><p>Four out of the 15 member schools are in North Carolina: Duke, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest. </p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/north-carolina-is-suing-the-doj-over-the-controversial-bathroom-bill/">North Carolina And The DOJ Are Suing Each Other Over The Bathroom Bill</a></b></p><p>And although the ACC men's basketball tournament will be played in New York next year, that tournament has only been played outside of North Carolina 12 times since 1954. </p><p>If the ACC is deciding to relocate championship games out of North Carolina over HB2, it's hard to say what'll go next. </p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/the-nfl-will-spend-100m-to-protect-players-from-concussions/">The NFL Will Spend Another $100M To Protect Players From Concussions</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/russian-hackers-accuse-williams-sisters-and-biles-of-doping/">Russian Hackers Accuse US Olympians Of Doping</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/ncaa-pulls-march-madness-games-over-north-carolina-s-hb2/">The NCAA's Opposition To HB2 Is Giving North Carolina March Sadness</a></li></ul>
Posted at 12:55 PM, Sep 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-14 19:42:54-04

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference has followed the NCAA's lead and is removing all its athletic championships from North Carolina over a state law that some say can lead to discrimination against LGBT people.

The ACC Council of Presidents voted Wednesday to relocate the league's championships until North Carolina repeals the law. The decision includes all championship this academic school year, which means relocating the ACC football title game that was scheduled to be played in Charlotte in December.

On Monday, the NCAA said it was relocating seven of its championships scheduled to be played in the state, including the men's basketball first- and second-round matchups scheduled for next March in Greensboro, North Carolina.

ACC Commissioner John Swofford said after the NCAA's decision that his league would review its next steps.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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