Appeals Court: Former Football Player Not an NCAA Employee

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a former University of Southern California football player was not a National Collegiate Athletic Association employee and was not entitled to pay or overtime.

The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upholds a California district court’s dismissal of the lawsuit by Lamar Dawson.

Dawson, a former USC linebacker, sued the NCAA and PAC-12 Conference in 2016, arguing he was an association employee.

"Dawson cannot demonstrate that the NCAA or the PAC-12 had the power to fire or hire him," Chief Judge Sidney Thomas wrote in the opinion.