CLEMSON | Forty-eight hours ago as of this Friday-morning writing, Danny Kanell and Greg McElroy were livid over the idea that maybe NCAA Tournament games shouldn't be played.

On their ESPNU morning radio show, they went with the tired old standby that anyone who thinks such a thing "has never played the game." They said none of the athletes participating in the then-ongoing conference tournaments, and those preparing for March Madness, could possibly be worried about the threat of coronavirus.

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It was, in their words, something that only a competitor could understand.

By Wednesday evening, those words were rendered so foolish that Kanell and McElroy probably should've issued an apology.

But we'll give them a pass. Because a position articulated two days ago might as well be two years ago as fast as this figurative hurricane is moving. There's still so much we don't know.

One thing, though, we do know: While surely plenty of athletes were bent on competing and taking on all risks associated with it, attempting to fit them all into that category is not only a fool's errand but an insult to the athletes themselves.

It has now been documented that plenty of athletes were apprehensive about moving forward and competing.