Former USC linebacker Lamar Dawson sued the NCAA and Pac-12 on Monday, alleging the organizations violated state and federal laws governing wages and hours as “joint employers” of Division I football players.
Filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, the class-action lawsuit accused the NCAA and Pac-12 of breaching the Fair Labor Standards Act and California law by not paying football players minimum wage or overtime. “Plaintiff was repeatedly paid a substandard wage insofar as he was denied full pay for all hours worked, including overtime pay, and was frequently permitted to work without receiving required minimum wage payments,” the 45-page complaint said.