The NBA has decided to put its season on hold after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for Coronavirus on Wednesday, and Charles Barkley feels the NCAA needs to do the same.
While the NCAA has already announced that games in the NCAA Tournament will be held in arenas without fans, Barkley does not believe that is enough. Barkley said on ESPN’s “Get Up!” Thursday morning that the NCAA needs to call off March Madness until everyone has a better understanding of how widespread Coronavirus has become.
"I think we're going to have to shut down March Madness until we know more." —Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/hfogDJlYNl
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 12, 2020
“These kids are sweating, breathing, leaning on each other,” Barkley said. “That’s crazy.”
Not having fans at the games will obviously help limit the exposure and spread of the virus, but — to Barkley’s point — it does not protect everyone. All it takes is one player in the tournament to somehow become infected with Coronavirus, and we have already seen how quickly the virus can spread.
Barkley works for Turner Sports and is a huge part of their NCAA Tournament coverage, which is part of what makes his take on the situation noteworthy. Multiple NBA teams have now been quarantined because of Gobert’s positive test. Should a college player test positive, the NCAA may have no choice but to cancel or postpone the tournament.
