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UConn coach Kevin Ollie will not attend Final Four in Indiana

By Aileen Graef
U.S. President Barack Obama hugs University of Connecticut men's head Kevin Ollie during a presentation in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on June 9, 2014. Obama honored both the women's and men's basketball teams from the University of Connecticut as they both won the NCAA collegiate basketball championships for the 2013-2014 season. UPI/Pat Benic
U.S. President Barack Obama hugs University of Connecticut men's head Kevin Ollie during a presentation in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on June 9, 2014. Obama honored both the women's and men's basketball teams from the University of Connecticut as they both won the NCAA collegiate basketball championships for the 2013-2014 season. UPI/Pat Benic | License Photo

INDIANAPOLIS, April 1 (UPI) -- University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie will not travel to the Final Four in Indiana due to the passage of the "religious freedom" law.

The university canceled the trip for Ollie and the four assistant coaches in solidarity with Conn. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's decision to cancel all travel for state employees to Indiana.

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"In support of Gov. Malloy's travel ban to the state of Indiana," said UConn President Susan Herbst. "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. 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."

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act has caused backlash in Indiana. The law is believed by critics to be a thinly veiled protection for discriminatory behavior. The law would potentially allow businesses to refuse service to people based on their sexual orientation.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has told the legislature they need to clarify the law so it leaves no room for discrimination.

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