Last month the NFL announced it would not move its owners meeting out of North Carolina despite the pro-discrimination law enacted in the state. Visiting the state for the NFL meeting, San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York took the opportunity to voice the opposition to the law by his team and himself. He also announced a $75,000 donation to Equality North Carolina to help the organization in its work in the Tar Heel State.
It's amazing that the 49ers would be further ahead on this issue than the Carolina Panthers, based in Charlotte. The 49ers play at the Panthers on Sept. 18.
York released this statement, in conjunction with Equality North Carolina: "The San Francisco 49ers are deeply concerned about North Carolina's recently-enacted House Bill 2, which overturned protections for LGBT people and sanctioned discrimination across the state. HB 2 does not reflect the values of our organization, of our country, or the majority of North Carolinians.
"We firmly believe that discriminatory laws such as HB 2 are bad for our employees, bad for our fans, and bad for business. We believe that HB 2 will make it far more challenging for businesses across the state to recruit and retain the nation's best and brightest workers and attract the most talented students from across the country. It will also diminish the state's draw as a destination for sporting events, tourism and conventions, and new business activity.
"Discrimination is wrong, and we believe it has no place in North Carolina or anywhere in our country. As an organization that prides ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to all, we strongly urge Governor Pat McCrory and the leadership of North Carolina's legislature to repeal this law in the current legislative session."
