US appeals court says some NCAA athletes may qualify as employees under federal wage-and-hour laws

Legal Affairs Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A U.S. appeals court in Philadelphia has ruled that some college athletes may qualify as employees under federal wage-and-hour laws. The court says a test should be developed to differentiate students who play college sports for fun from those whose effort “crosses the legal line into work” that benefits the school. The NCAA had hoped to have the case dismissed. It now goes back to a trial judge for fact finding. The ruling follows a Supreme Court case that led the NCAA to allow athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.