It might seem ironic that the NCAA, which has spent the past year and a half trying to rid college sports of mascots and nicknames it deems hostile and abusive to American Indian populations, would continue to allow some championship events to be played in states where Confederate flags are still endorsed.

Defenders of the flag say it honors Southern heritage, but opponents believe it glorifies slavery and segregation. And on Tuesday the NCAA’s Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee had a chance to do something about those concerns, as it considered a proposal to further curtail NCAA-sponsored championship events to be played in two states of the former Confederacy. The NCAA currently bans only preset championship tournaments, such as the Final Four in basketball, in those states.

The committee decided, however, not to change its policy, a move that will allow colleges and universities in Mississippi and South Carolina, the two states that fly Confederate flags, to keep playing host to other championship events.

The committee reasoned that, unlike American Indian mascots and nicknames, which colleges and universities can control, NCAA institutions in South Carolina and Mississippi do not have control over where the Confederate flag is placed and therefore should not be penalized by their states’ practices.