NCAA President Mark Emmert Says Rudy Gobert's Positive Test Ended Tournament Hopes

by Staff Reporter

March 16, 20203 Comments

During an interview between ESPN and NCAA President Mark Emmert, it was revealed that the March Madness Tournament was ultimately canceled after Rudy Gobert with the Utah Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus.

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"We [were] completely convinced at 4 p.m. on Wednesday that we could conduct the championships without fans by controlling the sites effectively," Emmert said. "We thought we could control the perimeters and control the environment, and, as best as possible, travel, because it's mostly charter travel and buses one way or another. We felt really confident about it. We were feeling really, really good."

"When Rudy Gobert was infected on Wednesday night, I think the realization in the basketball community hit home and was very much felt on Thursday morning," Gavitt said. "The student-athletes, from what we were hearing and sensing, felt very vulnerable. Here was someone they would all like to be one day, playing in the NBA, who got infected and was quarantined with his teammates. His opponents were quarantined.

"That was really, in my opinion, a seminal moment in everybody's mindset about how impractical and possibly not responsible it would be at that point to go forward with trying to hold these national championships."