NCAA president Mark Emmert has 'very mixed emotions' on end of tenure

INDIANAPOLIS -- Outgoing NCAA president Mark Emmert said Wednesday evening he has "very mixed emotions" about ending his 12-year tenure while the college sports industry and its leaders are in the midst of attempting to sort through a barrage of potentially existential issues.

Emmert, who will officially step down from his post as the association's top executive at the end of February, was the first witness called on Wednesday in a civil court trial to determine if the NCAA holds legal responsibility for the death of a former Division II quarterback who suffered a concussion while playing college football. It is the second concussion-related trial for the NCAA in the past three months, and one of several ongoing legal issues that have made Emmert and the association regular visitors to courtrooms during the tail end of his NCAA presidency.

The NCAA is also facing a number of legal challenges aimed at making college athletes into employees of their schools or providing other avenues for them to share in more of the profits they help to generate.