Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, March 26, 2014

It was a bit surprising to see that the National Labor Relations Board ruled Wednesday that football players who receive scholarships are employees. NLRB directed that a secret ballot election be held to determine whether the football players should be represented by the College Athletes Players Association for purposes of collective bargaining with Northwestern.

Northwestern?s vice president for university relations Alan Cubbage issued a statement today stressing the school?s disappointment with the decision.

?While we respect the NLRB process and the regional director?s opinion, we disagree with it. Northwestern believes strongly that our student-athletes are not employees, but students. Unionization and collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns raised by student-athletes.

?Northwestern plans to appeal today?s decision to the full National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. The University will continue to explore all of its legal options in regard to this issue.?

This all bubbled up last month with hearings in Chicago on the subject in which former NU quarterback Kain Colter and Wildcats football coach Pat Fitzgerald testified.

Shortly thereafter, I spoke to BTN football analyst Gerry DiNardo about the drive by NU players to unionize, and he had some strong opinions against the movement.

There are strong arguments on both sides of this case. And it?s a case that bears watching and could have a big impact on the future of collegiate athletics. But it?s a long way from being resolved.

https://twitter.com/KainColter_2/status/448894258691706880

https://twitter.com/KainColter_2/status/448897548145950720

About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

And if you want to leave a comment on this post, use the box below. All comments need to be approved by a moderator.