Kain Colter, the Colorado prep quarterback who later became the national face of efforts to unionize Northwestern’s football team, vowed to keep advocating for players’ rights despite a National Labor Relations Board decision Monday that rebuffed the move.
Although the NLRB denied the effort to unionize, Colter noted that the decision didn’t assert jurisdiction on the case’s merits — whether Northwestern’s players are employees of the university, as he contends — and leaves the door open to future efforts.
“I still think overwhelming evidence is on our side,” he said. “This really doesn’t take away from the whole movement and the whole act of having college athletes stand up for their rights and what they believe in.”
He pointed out that since the unionization effort, college athletics have made significant strides on key issues such as guaranteed, four-year scholarships and ongoing medical coverage.
“We wanted things to turn out differently,” he said of the decision. “But all the positive changes that have been brought from this make it worthwhile. For decades, people were fighting for the same things we were fighting for, but they never came. Once we were able to get some players standing up and taking action, you’re going to get some positive changes.”
Colter, a star both for Boulder High School and then Cherry Creek, took up the cause for college players’ rights in 2013 at the start of his senior season at Northwestern.
He had been inspired by a summer course titled “Field Studies in the Modern Workplace,” which he took in concert with an internship at Goldman Sachs’ private wealth management department. The class explored social, political and ethical elements of work.
Soon after, he connected with the National College Players Association, a group founded by former UCLA linebacker Ramogi Huma, who sought to change the NCAA athletic system.
During his senior season, Colter led efforts to lend visibility to the cause and then, in January 2014, called a players-only meeting to urge his teammates to sign union cards — even though he would personally never see any benefit.
He and Huma, acting as the College Athletes Players Association, petitioned the Chicago office of the NLRB to argue that scholarship athletes are university employees — as distinguished from the NCAA’s designation of “student-athletes.”
Weeks later, he testified at a hearing, and became a lightning rod for both praise and scorn. After the local NLRB ruled in favor of the players, they took a union vote. But with the NLRB on Monday denying an attempt to unionize, notching a victory for the NCAA, the results won’t be counted.
Although the effort took an emotional toll on him and caused a rift in his relationship with Northwestern, Colter doesn’t regret his involvement.
“I felt like I sacrificed a lot, put a lot into this movement, and we wanted a different outcome,” he said. “But I still would do it again if I had the chance, if I could go back in time. Obviously, I felt like some bridges have been burned, and there were some big changes in my life because of my actions. But I still think it’s been worth it.
“I can tell you this: The cause of athletes’ rights is not going to stop,” he added. “We’re still going to advocate for it, still find avenues to put pressure on the system to get changes made. I’ll still be involved, and I’ll still be advocating.”
Colter wasn’t drafted but signed with the Minnesota Vikings and spent last season on their practice squad. The team cut him this spring. He is still hoping to find a place to play.
“I don’t want to hang the cleats up quite yet,” he said.
Kevin Simpson: 303-954-1739, ksimpson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ksimpsondp
