Officials: NCAA could pull tourney sites from N.C.

12:11 AM ET

The North Carolina cities of Greensboro and Charlotte must prove to the NCAA how each site will provide a discrimination-free zone in their respective arenas, or risk losing hosting privileges for the NCAA tournament first and second rounds in 2017 and 2018, multiple NCAA officials told ESPN on Wednesday night.

The NCAA provided a statement to ESPN that said “currently awarded sites must report how they will provide an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination, plus safeguards the dignity of everyone involved in the event. The information must be reported to the Board of Governors Ad Hoc Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity and full implementation is expected during the current bidding process.”

The response was due to the NCAA Board of Governors adopting an anti-discrimination measure earlier in the day at their quarterly meeting in Indianapolis.

The action comes after Mississippi and North Carolina recently passed laws that critics say can allow discrimination against members of the LGBT community.

“The higher education community is a diverse mix of people …

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