Jay GreesonThe bill passed the state Senate easily. It would have made it legal for religious groups to deny services, including performing same-sex marriages. It has been called an anti-gay bill as well as a religious freedom bill, depending on your outlook.
One Deal quote on his decision revealed the delicate spot he is in politically, in a state in which this bill pleases a large number of the populace (rightly or wrongly).
"I do not think we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in Georgia, of which I and my family have been a part of for all of our lives," Deal said, per CNN.
Supporters of the bill voiced their displeasure with Deal's decision.
"This is only the beginning," Virginia Galloway, who represents the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Georgia, told various media outlets Tuesday.
Deal is serving his final term as governor, and staring at his 74th birthday in August, so it's fair to wonder if the Republican has any more elections in his future.
That fact certainly played into his decision. The legislature pushed House Bill 757 through easily, and the conservative and religious nature of the state made the legislation popular among a large number of Georgia citizens.
Of course, there was opposition from the gay and lesbian community, as well as a growing number of folks who believe everyone this side of white Christians is persecuted in some way or fashion.
Then there's another side of this very shiny - and lucrative - coin.
A large part of this decision was the outside pressure put on Deal by several huge industries, including the NFL and threats from Hollywood that could have hurt Georgia's growing film industry.
The NFL said passing this bill would greatly hurt the state's chances of hosting a Super Bowl. That's no small carrot. In fact, the city of Atlanta, as well as the state of Georgia, will spend billions of dollars on the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the new home of the Falcons that is set to open for the 2017 season.
Governments should not be in the business of spending public funds to build stadiums for private entities. That said, building a facility like the Mercedes-Benz Stadium makes sense in that in the next five years, the building will host the SEC title game annually, several bowl games (including the national championship game), an untold number of super concerts, the Falcons and some regular-season college football games as well as potentially a Final Four down the road.
Still, all of that may not make it worth spending that much of the public's money on a multibillion-dollar domed stadium.
Now, add in a Super Bowl, and the state's investment in the new stadium fits the business axiom of "You have to spend money to make money." With a Super Bowl, the new stadium will pay for itself before the 2020 presidential election.
"NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or any other improper standard," the NFL's statement said. "Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites."
So Deal's decision had multiple layers.
It's certainly the NFL's prerogative to make decisions on where it wants to do business, but it's more than a little hypocritical for the NFL, of all entities, to demand equality from its business partners.
First, the NFL in particular and sports in general is the closet thing we have to a true meritocracy in terms of its most famous employees. If you can play, whether you are purple or polka dotted or gay or straight or Christian or Muslim, they will find a spot for you.
That's glorious, but in no way does that emphasize tolerance - have you been in a locker room lately? - or inclusion.
That emphasizes organizational choice above all else.
Now take a look at the above policy and then take a look within the leadership positions of the NFL, and you are going to see an overwhelmingly large percentage are white and straight.
Yet again, the NFL is a private business, and if those guys are the best for the job, great. But it hardly feels like the NFL is emphasizing "inclusiveness."
Deal was not afforded that luxury. This decision in a lot of ways put the core values of the Republican Party - its strong religious leanings and its embrace of commerce and capitalism - in opposite corners.
And it left Deal in the middle.
And from this view, Deal's stance to make sure his government wisely managed and protected the state's wallet rather than its religious morality was the right one.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com. His "Right to the Point" column runs on A2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.