Are College Athletes Considered Employees? Court Denies NCAA Appeal in Win for Athletes

By Caleb Diaz The possibility remains that college athletes could be considered employees under federal minimum-wage laws, following a U.S appeals court ruling last week. The NCAA had sought a definitive ruling to prevent athletes from claiming employee status, but the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Johnson v. NCAA declined to make such a determination, instead sending the case back to a lower court for further examination. The ruling, authored by Judge L. Felipe Restrep