An advocacy group filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday, the latest step in a push to give employee status to college athletes and afford them the right to competitive pay, collective bargaining and other benefits and protections.
>> YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT. >> DEFINITELY. THANK YOU. >>> UNFAIR. THAT'S HOW ONE ADVOCACY GROUP DESCRIBES THE NCAA. THEY WON COLLEGE ATHLETES TO BE TREATED LIKE UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES. WRAL'S JULIAN GRACE JOINS US LIVE FROM NC STATE TONIGHT. JULIAN, HOW COULD THIS CHANGE THINGS? >> Reporter: GERALD, IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. NOW ONE THING WE FOUND OUT EARLIER IF SOME THINGS HAPPEN A COUPLE OF THINGS MAY HAPPEN IN THIS WHOLE PROCESS. SO WE WANTED TO TALK TO THE EXPERTS TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT THIS MEANS FOR EVERYONE. SHOULD ATHLETES BE ELIGIBLE FOR A PAYDAY? THE COLLEGE ATHLETE GROUP IS LOOKING TO DO JUST THAT HOPING TO GIVE STUDENT ATHLETES COMPETITIVE PAY, BARGAINING, AND OTHER BENEFITS. >> IT WILL TAKE A LOT OF LEGAL WRANGLING. >> Reporter: WE TOOK THAT QUESTION TO WRAL SPORTS FAN JOE GILIO THIS EVENING. HE QUICKLY POINTED OUT PLAYERS ARE TREATED AS EMPLOYEES THEY WILL GET A SHARE OF REVENUE STREAMING INTO UNIVERSITIES FROM TV CONTRACTS AND TICKET SALES. >> IF THEY BECOME EMPLOYEES THEN THE ATHLETES HAVE THE CHANCE TO GET A PIECE OF THAT PIE. NOT JUST THE PIE, BUT THE ACTUAL BIG PIE. AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES THE RULING POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT. >> Reporter: THIS NEW COMPLAINT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE NIH AGREEMENT REACHED RECENTLY FOR PLAYERS. IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS. NOW THOSE DEALS, PLAYERS CAN RECEIVE MONEY OFF THE FIELD, WHICH IS NOT TIED TO TICKET SALES OR TELEVISION CONTRACTS. BUT DROPPING THE RATE, REPLACING IT WITH EMPLOYEES WON'T BE EASY. AND COLLEGE ATHLETES DESERVE EVERY RIGHT AFFORDED TO THEM UNDER LABOR LAWS JUST LIKE OTHER HARD WORKING AMERICANS. >> I THINK IT IS A WORD GAME RIGHT NOW. WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS RIGHT NOW THAT DOES NOT EXIST WITHOUT THOSE ATHLETES, WITHOUT THE FOOTBALL PLAYERS, WITHOUT THE BASKETBALL PLAYERS. >> Reporter: NOW THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS THE COMPLAINTS COULD HURT SMALLER UNIVERSITIES. NOW WE DID CHECK WITH A NUMBER OF ATHLETIC DIRECTORS HERE IN THE TRIANGLE, TRYING TO GET A LITTLE FEEDBACK ON HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THIS COMPLAINT. GERALD, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO MAKE
