Steve Jones

@stevejones_cj

Following the lead of the NCAA, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Wednesday that it would remove all of its neutral-site league championship events, including the football championship game, from North Carolina during the 2016-17 school year in response to a state law that is seen as restricting transgender people from using the restrooms of their choice.

The move by the Greensboro-based ACC affects seven championship events, including the football game that was to be held in Charlotte, the baseball tournament (Durham) and the women's basketball tournament (Greensboro). The new locations will be announced in the future from the conference office.

Championship events that are held on the campuses of ACC universities in North Carolina will not be affected.

“The ACC Council of Presidents reaffirmed our collective commitment to uphold the values of equality, diversity, inclusion and non-discrimination," the council said in a statement from the league. "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.”

Other sports championships that will be moved are: women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, and women's and men's golf.

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The ACC men's basketball tournament is already scheduled to be held in Brooklyn, N.Y., this season, though it's been in Greensboro in many previous years. The women's basketball tournament has been held in North Carolina since 1982.

The football championship game was set to be played at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium – home of the Carolina Panthers – on Dec. 3. ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy reported that Orlando, Fla., has quickly emerged as the favorite to land game in 2016.

The NCAA announced earlier in the week that it would also remove all its neutral-site championship events from North Carolina in reaction to House Bill 2, which has sparked controversy and been opposed by LGBT advocates.

The NBA also pulled the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte in opposition to HB 2, which prohibits people from using multiple-occupancy restrooms other than for the gender stated on their birth certificate. The law also supersedes any local ordinances that may prohibit discrimination in public places based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

“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," ACC commissioner John Swofford said. "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.”