Roger Goodell supports Charlotte's opposition to House Bill 2

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has joined the city of Charlotte in its fight against House Bill 2, a controversial bill that limits the legal protection of the LGBT community.

Goodell said Tuesday at the conclusion of the league's spring meetings in Charlotte that he and Mayor Jennifer Roberts discussed the bill on Monday.

"We have been very open and honest and direct about this,'' Goodell said. "We have our policies that do not support in any way discrimination. It's very important for us to have diversity. We've made that clear publicly. We've made that clear in other situations.

"We made a commitment here a long time ago [with the Carolina Panthers]. The city of Charlotte has continued to fight this issue. We support those efforts. Anything that discriminates is something we oppose, and we will continue to fight that. ''

San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York joined the fight Monday when he donated $75,000 to Equality North Carolina, a nonprofit organization focused on LGBT issues, to help repeal the law.

"HB2 does not reflect the values of our organization, of our country, or the majority of North Carolinians,'' York said in a statement.

But York told the San Francisco Chronicle he does not intend to let the law prevent the 49ers from playing in Charlotte against the Panthers on Sept. 18.

He told the newspaper that "wouldn't be fair to the players."

The Panthers also have actively engaged "key stakeholders'' in fighting the bill.

"Our organization is against discrimination and has a long history of treating all of our patrons at Bank of America Stadium with dignity and respect,'' team spokesperson Steven Drummond said. "The Panthers have and will continue to engage key stakeholders on this important issue."

Team president Danny Morrison said the stadium hasn't had any events canceled because of the law. But, he added, "there's a sense of urgency to get a solution for the state of North Carolina.''

HB2 was passed by the General Assembly on March 23 and signed that night by Gov. Pat McCrory. It superseded a Charlotte ordinance that protected transgender people who use public restrooms based on their gender identity.

It also negated local ordinances across the state that would have expanded protections for the LGBT community.

Soon afterward, PayPal withdrew plans for a new Charlotte operations center because it opposes the law; the center would have created more than 400 jobs for the city. Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and other entertainers have canceled shows in the state.

Goodell said the league does not plan to "threaten the community'' by pulling out of North Carolina.

"The Carolina Panthers play here," Goodell said. "They operate a business. We want to work with the community. We don't want to threaten the community. We're going to work with the community to make the effective changes that are necessary."