Game Changer — NLRB Regional Director Finds Northwestern University Scholarship Football Players are Employees under the NLRA

By Robert L. Clayton and Vincent Norwillo, of Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan   On March 26, 2014, in Northwestern University, the NLRB Regional Director for Region 13 issued a Decision that could permanently change major college sports. Specifically, the Regional Director found that football players receiving grant-in-aid scholarships from Northwestern University (Northwestern), who have not exhausted their playing eligibility, are employees under Section 2(3) of the NLRA. The decision also dir