Super Bowl XLIX is scheduled to be played Feb. 1, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. NFL keeping eye on Arizona bill

With Arizona set to host next year’s Super Bowl, the NFL is saying it is “following the issue” of the state’s controversial bill that is being criticized as discriminatory against gays and lesbians.

“We are following the issue in Arizona and will continue to do so should the bill be signed into law,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement Tuesday.


Republican Gov. Jan Brewer has not said yet whether she will veto or sign the legislation, known as SB 1062. Under the bill, businesses would be allowed to refuse business to to any person on the basis of the business owners’ religious beliefs.

( Also on POLITICO: Brewer: 'I will do the right thing')

Following growing uproar over the legislation, some — including Democratic Delaware Gov. Jack Markel l — have raised the possibility of the Super Bowl being pulled from the state.

McCarthy said that the league’s policies “emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard.”

The NFL’s comments follow both the Arizona Cardinals franchise and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, who each released statements opposing the bill on Monday.

“What so many love about football is its ability to bring people together,” the Cardinals’ statement read. “We do not support anything that has the potential to divide, exclude and discriminate.”

Citing, economic concerns, the committee said the bill would deal a “significant blow” to the state’s economy. It also said it shares the league’s values to “embrace tolerance…and prohibit discrimination.”

Super Bowl XLIX is scheduled to be held on Feb. 1, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.