UConn head coach Kevin Ollie speaks to guards Rodney Purvis (44) and Ryan Boatright (11) on Thursday, March 12, 2015, at XL Center in Hartford, Conn. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/TNS)
Kevin Ollie might not have to turn down a part in the conservative remake of “Hoosiers” after all.
The head coach of the defending national champion UConn Huskies could be exempt from a travel ban imposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on state employees to Indiana, where Ollie is scheduled to take part in this week in a National Association of Basketball Coaches convention.
The annual event coincides with the Final Four in Indianapolis, which has become ground zero in the national debate over Indiana’s controversial religious freedom law that critics such as Malloy say allows business owners to discriminate against gays and promotes bigotry.
Ollie’s appearance at the hoops extravaganza is likely part of a contractual obligation that was hammered out long before the controversy, Hearst Connecticut Media has learned.
Malloy’s Indiana boycott carves out an exemption for state employees who must travel to meet contractual obligations, as well for those enforcing laws or attending to public safety and public health duties.
UConn athletics officials were not immediately available for comment. On Monday, the university said it would announce its plans Tuesday on whether Ollie will attend Final Four-related events.
On the MSNBC talk show “Morning Joe” Tuesday, Malloy called on the NCAA to follow his lead to boycott the Hoosier State.
“Indiana is the home of the NCAA,” Malloy said. “The NCAA should not play any tournaments in that state any longer until Indiana recognizes the rights of gay men and gay women.”
UConn’s athletic department certainly has its hands full at the moment, with the women’s basketball team earning its 16 Final Four appearance Monday night, the football team’s NFL pro scouting day on Tuesday and now the “Hoosiers” saga.
A screen capture from Tuesday’s episode of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC shows the front page of the Connecticut Post’s coverage of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Indiana boycott.