(CNN) The University of Alabama returned $21.5 million Friday to a donor who urged students to boycott over the state's recently passed abortion ban.

Hugh Culverhouse Jr. called it retaliation for his position against the controversial law. University officials said it was not related.

Culverhouse, a Florida lawyer and developer, last year pledged a total of $26.5 million . The university named its law school for him then, which was the largest gift in the university's 187-year history.

The university removed his name from the law school's sign on Friday after the board of trustees voted to return the $21.5 million he had given so far.

Breaking: UA officials took The name of Hugh Culverhouse Jr off the University of Alabama school of law sign pic.twitter.com/3wZDyU19C6 — Tim Reid (@reidreporterguy) June 7, 2019

"The action taken by the Board today was a direct result of Mr. Culverhouse's ongoing attempts to interfere in the operations of the Law School," according to a statement from Kellee Reinhart , the university's vice chancellor for communication.

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