Athletic directors from Big Ten Conference schools had scheduled a meeting early last week, prior to the beginning of the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis, to discuss the hot topic of NIL (name, image, and likeness) for student-athletes.
When the leaders convened, however, they turned their attention to a more pressing matter – rapidly growing concerns about COVID-19, or the coronavirus disease, and its effects, initially on the pending basketball tournament. No sooner in making one decision did news break, causing more debate and decision making on what would eventually become labeled an official pandemic.