Conference USA joins SEC in prohibiting conference championships in Mississippi without change to state flag

Conference USA's Board of Directors have made their stance clear

Conference USA has joined the SEC and NCAA in prohibiting championship tournaments in Mississippi until the state changes its flag. The announcement was made Monday morning, four days after SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said "It is past time for change to be made to the flag of the State of Mississippi." 

Last Friday, the NCAA's Board of Governors expanded a policy preventing championship events being played in states where the Confederate flag has a "prominent presence."Mississippi's state flag includes a confederate emblem in its design. 

Conference USA was scheduled to hold its 2020 men's baseball tournament in Biloxi, Mississippi, marking the fourth consecutive year the event was to be played at that location. This move by C-USA, though, would prevent Southern Miss, located in Hattiesburg, from hosting the conference championship game in football as the higher-seeded team this season should that situation come to fruition. 

The debate over the Mississippi state flag has restarted recently as the topic of nationwide racial injustices has intensified. Gov. Tate Reeves has said that he believes the people of Mississippi should decide whether the state flag should be changed, not legislators. The last vote on the state flag issue took place in 2001 when voters decided to keep the flag as-is.