Former Wisconsin basketball player Nigel Hayes says his team contemplated boycotting a game during the 2016-17 season in protest of the NCAA’s rules on what athletes can receive while they are eligible to play.
Hayes spoke during a panel discussion called "Future of College Sports: Reimagining Athlete Pay.” and says during the beginning of his senior season, he proposed a plan that would have the team refusing to play against Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
That game was televised by ESPN and scheduled to be played Nov. 29 in Madison.
“I knew 90 percent of the guys were on board from the get-go, before I asked the question,” Hayes told USA Today.