The top lawyer at the National Labor Relations Board issued an official opinion this week that players at all 17 private colleges in the FBS are employees of their schools. It is a significant expansion of a 2014 ruling by NLRB regional director Peter S. Ohr that Northwestern football players are employees. Delivered in a memorandum to the NLRB's regional directors, the new ruling's specific provisions, its language and its possible ramifications raise questions and issues for players, coaches and administrators:
What schools and athletic programs are affected by this opinion?
The NLRB does not have jurisdiction over public schools, so the ruling by NLRB general counsel Richard F.