The NCAA warned that paying athletes “could jeopardize the long-term sustainability of college sports” in a motion to dismiss former USC linebacker Lamar Dawson’s class-action lawsuit against the organization.
Dawson sued the NCAA and Pac-12 in September, alleging they violated state and federal law governing hours and wages and were “joint employers” of Division I football players.
The NCAA pushed back last week in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, calling the action “misplaced” and citing a section of California’s labor code that says college athletes aren’t employees for the purposes of worker’s compensation.