The NFL is expressing sharper warnings about a Texas "bathroom bill" targeting transgender persons than statements prior to the Super Bowl in Houston.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and others say passing the bill is a "priority" this legislative session, citing safety among their concerns.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy has raised the prospect of Texas losing out on future Super Bowls if there were laws "discriminatory or inconsistent with our values." He said such measures "would certainly be a factor" taken into consideration.
That's more forceful than an NFL statement earlier this month that more generally endorsed inclusiveness.
The Texas proposal would require people to use bathrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificate. It's similar to a North Carolina law that led the NCAA to pull championship events from that state.
No Super Bowl sites awarded through 2021 are in Texas. Dallas hosted the game in 2011.