North Carolina governor calls NCAA's HB2 decision 'extortion'

After the NCAA's decision to relocate games in protest of North Carolina's HB2 law, state governor Pat McCrory issued a statement Tuesday and had some strong words for the athletic governing body, reports Craig Jarvis of The Charlotte Observer.

"I strongly encourage all public and private institutions to both respect and allow our nation's judicial system to proceed without economic threats or political retaliation toward the 22 states that are currently challenging government reach," McCrory said. "Sadly, the NCAA, a multi-billion dollar, tax-exempt monopoly, failed to show this respect at the expense of our student athletes and hard-working men and women."

The NCAA announced Monday seven championship games will be moved out of the state due to "cumulative actions taken by the state concerning civil rights protections."

McCrory was out of state attending meetings and a fundraiser, so his formal response came Tuesday, when he called the NCAA's decision one of political blackmail, stating it was, "extortion against the state of North Carolina."