Roy Williams on HB2: ‘What we have now is wrong’

Roy Williams isn’t shy when it comes to voicing his opinion about North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill.”

Williams already spoke about House Bill 2 in Brooklyn during the ACC Tournament and again in Greensboro at the start of the NCAA Tournament. He kept up the commentary during a press conference in Chapel Hill on Tuesday ahead of the Tar Heel’s NCAA Sweet 16 game against Butler in Memphis.

“It shouldn’t just be about athletic events – that’s the most important thing. It should be about what’s right and wrong,” Williams said. “And what we have now is wrong.”

Williams joked that he “may not be the smartest but I’m darn sure not the dumbest” and said he’s having a hard time “figuring out why we think our law is what’s right when 49 other states don’t have that.

“Are we that much smarter than 49 other states?”

Williams said he thinks it’s wrong that student athletes are denied opportunities to play at home because House Bill 2 led the NCAA to relocate games outside North Carolina.

“I think it’s wrong to deny them opportunities to play at home,” he said. “We’ve had some tremendous wins – for us, Duke, State, everybody – having a home crowd with us. Duke paid the price this weekend because they had a very significant road crowd down there.”

But for Williams, it wasn’t just about how players are being affected.

“It’s just not right,” he said. “I’ll stand up and say that on any building anywhere as long as you promise not to push ... It’s just not right. It’s not just about athletics. It is just not right.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Roy Williams on HB2: ‘What we have now is wrong’."