USC athletic director Pat Haden said in a tweet Tuesday that he would not be attending the College Football Playoff meeting in Indianapolis this week because of the newly signed Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

I am the proud father of a gay son. In his honor, I will not be attending the CFP committee meeting in Indy this week. #EmbraceDiversity — Pat Haden (@ADHadenUSC) March 31, 2015

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was signed into law last week and takes effect July 1, would prohibit laws that "substantially burden" a person's freedom of religion. The broad definition of the Act has caused many critics to claim the bill would open the door for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence denied Tuesday that the bill was intended to discriminate against any group of people, but the perception already has caused the NCAA to issue a statement against the bill, and the Big Ten, which holds its conference title game in Indianapolis, said it will discuss the effects of the new law at its next conference meeting. A petition to move the Big Ten title game out of Lucas Oil Stadium already has picked up steam.

"I certainly understand and respect Pat's position," College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock told USA TODAY Sports. "Everyone has the right to express their personal opinion and Pat, to his credit, has expressed his. As a father and also a human being, I respect him for that. I will also express my personal opinion: I think they need to fix this.

"But my focus is on sports. Other people who are more knowledgeable that I am are better positioned to address this matter. Our group's focus will remain on sports."

Nine CEOs of major corporations have sent strongly worded letters to Pence urging him to clarify the bill so that it doesn’t discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation.

If Indiana does not change the bill, it faces losing a lot of business, especially in the sports world.

"If we have to make adjustments to this law to make it clear that this law as never intended to give businesses the right to turn away customers on the basis of sexual orientation, we will fix that," Pence told Fox News on Tuesday.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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