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Charles Barkley: Final Four should be moved from Indiana because of new law

Charles Barkley: Final Four should be moved from Indiana because of new law

Former NBA star Charles Barkley criticized a new state law in Indiana on Friday as being anti-gay and because of that, Barkley believes the state should not be allowed to host big sporting events such as the Final Four next week in Indianapolis.

Barkley is serving as an analyst FOR the NCAA tournament again this year for CBS/Turner. He issued a statement about the law to Sports Illustrated on Friday.

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“Discrimination in any form is unacceptable to me," Barkley said.  "As long as anti-gay legislation exists in any state, I strongly believe big events such as the Final Four and Super Bowl should not be held in those states’ cities.”

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed Senate Bill 101 into law this week and said he wouldn't have supported it with his signature if he believed it allowed discrimination. Supporters of the law believe it is needed to protect religious beliefs. Opponents believe it allows business owners to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender people by allowing them to refuse service to those groups.

Indianapolis is also schedule to hos the 2021 Final Four and is also home to the NCAA.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!