Mark Emmert discusses NCAA's plans following Indiana's 'religious freedom' law

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NCAA president Mark Emmert said that the NCAA needs to further examine Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which will go into effect July 1.

Emmert appeared on "Katz Korner," hosted by ESPN's Andy Katz, to discuss the law and address the organization's concerns.

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The law has received plenty of criticism from people across the country. The backlash comes from people who believe the law will allow business owners to discriminate against others, including those in the LGBT community.

Emmert released a statement soon after the bill was signed, saying the NCAA was "concerned" about the new law. He pretty much reiterated his stance with Katz. He was asked what impact the law could have on the NCAA holding events in the state.

“We, the NCAA have to sit down and say, ‘All right, if this environment remains the way it is, what does that mean for us going forward?’ We hold lots and lots of events here, we’re going to have our national convention is here, our offices are here. We have to say, ‘What do we do if this law goes into effect in July, and what’s our relationship with the state of Indiana going to be?’”

Emmert stressed that he wanted to make clear was that the law needs to be better defined. He was asked about his interpretation of the law.

“I was deeply concerned about it, as were our members," he said. "The law itself has a lot of uncertainty and lacks clarity. But anything that could potentially allow for discrimination and works in a way that is inconsistent with our values for inclusion is something we are very, very concerned about.”

He didn't go as far as to say whether or not the NCAA would move its headquarters out of Indianapolis. He said there's still a lot to be done with the law before the organization makes any major decisions.

“We need to understand fully what the bill is and isn’t," Emmert said. "The governor and legislature have indicated that they are going to modify it or clarify it. Others in the legislature are calling for its [repeal]. Before we get that far down the road, we have to get a feel for what it really means. Having said that, we are very serious about our core values. We want to make sure we operate in an environment that is supportive of those values. So this is a serious issue for us.”

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Jordan Heck is a social media producer at Sporting News