Ohio legislature considering law stating college athletes are not school employees

The Ohio Legislature may pass a law defining the relationship between athletes and universities. (Mike Munden/Getty Images)

The Ohio House of Representatives has proposed an amendment to the state's budget that would declare that athletes are not employed by their universities, according to Jeremy Pelzer of Cleveland.com.

While only in its initial stages, the new rule would clearly define the relationship between an athlete and college as separate from those of employers and employees. The amendment is a response to the National Labor Relations Board's recent ruling that the Northwestern University football team should be considered school employees and may vote to unionize.

Ohio Rep. Ron Amstutz endorses the rule, and says it only codifies something that should be common sense.

“I think this is a statement of what we all thought is obvious, and that is athletes are not employees of their university."

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