Gang, we have an open spot or two in Friday’s mailbag. Whatcha got?
From the “Talks too much” studios,
Game changer
In this Jan. 28, 2014, file photo, Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter, right, speaks while College Athletes Players Association President Ramogi Huma listens during a news conference in Chicago.By deciding that the Northwestern football players are employees, Peter Ohr has opened a Wal-Mart-sized trunk of questions about college sports.
And, if his decision is not overturned on appeal, he has delivered a clear and single sentence: College sports will never be the same.
Ohr’s decision is directly applicable for athletes at private universities such as Northwestern across the country. As for public universities like UT, UGA and UTC, well, the state’s laws on unions for public employees would govern different schools. That in and of it self makes for head-spinning controversy, since the various laws differ and the variances in Right to Work states limit union opportunities. (Side note: Most of the schools in the SEC are in Right to Work states, so this may not directly apply in a legal sense. But if private schools such as Northwestern or Stanford or even Vandy are offering better ‘working’ conditions as in worker’s comp for injuries, input on practice schedules and negotiations about how the program and employees interact or potentially wages, how long before the ‘recruiting’ worm turns.)