[HHFi]

That might fly for, say, 1986, but in 1992 the transmission of AIDS was understood about as well as it is now.

It might have been known to doctors, but it wasn't widely accepted yet by the public. Here's a quote from Wikipedia, about the retirement of Magic Johnson from the NBA after discovering he was HIV-positive. Note the dates:

"Nonetheless, Johnson was still voted into the 1992 All-Star Game, and the press speculated whether he was going to make a comeback. Moreover, many colleagues were wary: as HIV can be transmitted by blood contamination, they argued that Johnson would be a deadly risk if he suffered a bleeding wound while on court..."

[Sloth]

Isn’t the “blood rule” still in effect for both the NBA and the NCAA?