Players Vote | HailToPurple.com

Initial Reports from Scout, Chicago Tribune
Point to Player Rejection of Union

Scout's Chris Emma sent the first report via Twitter before the voting was yet done: "A high-placed Northwestern source believes the union receives in the range of 60 'No' votes out of 75 players." Just two hours after Northwestern football players ended their voting, the Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein also took to Twitter: "I just spoke to a Northwestern player (who will remain anonymous) who voted today. He told me he's 80 pct sure union vote will be NO."

THE WILDCAT WAIT

APRIL 25-- So now we wait.

The players have voted, the votes are sealed up, and NU football goes into a kind of limbo as Northwestern and the NLRB sort out the next set of moves.

This series of actions which led to today's historic event began back in January, when former NU quarterback Kain Colter urged his teammates to sign union cards. The move to request union representation required 30% of the current players to sign on, and Colter made sure that he would have an adequate number of supporters by secretly meeting first and separately with the freshmen members of the team and with African-American players. Only after he worked to convince those groups to sign did Colter convene a team meeting to discuss the union option, knowing that he now had built-in support to make the conversation move his way.

In recent weeks, however, as the voting day approached, the conversation among some current players was less supportive of Colter and his tactics. Colter's damning testimony against Coach Fitzgerald and the NU program during NLRB evidence hearings soured opinions among some players and alumni, while others sympathized with Colter, setting in place a division that will mark this program for a long time to come.

VOTING DAY

Group of Alumni Players, Led by Telander and Adamle,
Accuse NU of Meddling with Election on Eve of Vote;

Vote Result Might Never Be Released:
Washington NLRB Office Grants NU's Review Request

APRIL 25-- Current Northwestern employee-players are at last casting their votes, deciding whether or not to join a labor union. The voting is taking place this morning at McGaw Hall. The ballots will be impounded by the National Labor Relations Board, which will hold the ballots secret indefinitely. NU is currently appealing the Chicago NLRB Office's ruling that gave players the right to this vote. Should the Washington Office of the NLRB overturn the Chicago decision, it is likely that we will never know the results of today's vote.

Late Friday, the Washington Office of the NLRB noted that the Chicago decision "raises substantial issues warranting review."

Should the Washington Office of the NLRB uphold Chicago, then down the rabbit hole we go. If the players turned down a union, the situation at NU might stabilize somewhat-- for now. Eventually, another school or schools will take up the same challenge, and the dominos within the NCAA will begin to fall. Change will come to Northwestern; it just might take a couple more years. If, however, the players voted yes, then the players, their union, Northwestern, the Big Ten, and the NCAA will all square off in a summer and autumn battle royale, with the NU football program (and NU athletics in general) in the balance.

And, to spice things up on the eve of the vote, there's "Game Changers, Collegiate Alumni Athletes for Change," a small group of former NU players (including Rick Telander and Mike Adamle) who released a statement to the press accusing Northwestern of interfering with the union vote. Because why not?

FITZ: VOTE NO

Players Will Vote on Union April 25
Persa: Colter Performed "Sneak Attack" on Players,
Actions Are "Unfair" to Coach Fitzgerald

April 6-- Last Saturday, Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald talked at last about the union situation and the NLRB ruling in favor of the players. Speaking to BTN in front of a couple dozen fans at an open spring practice at Lakeside Field, Fitzgerald said, "[being silent until now] has been a challenge, but that's what we're talking to our young men about now... educating them to the best of our ability... There's obviously a critically important vote that's coming up not only impacts our young men, but the future young men of college football, and we want to make sure that they have all of the information."

Fitzgerald continued: "I am very proud of [the players] for trying to work for national change." However, Fitzgerald had told the BTN before the practice that he was going to encourage the team to vote no for unionization.

During BTN's broadcast, former quarterback Dan Persa described Kain Colter's effort to get other players to sign union cards as a "sneak attack" and the players' subsequent actions as "unfair" to Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald also commented about where the players are in their spring practice schedule, noting that the team "is going to be behind coming out of spring from some scrimmage-type things," because of a lot of post season surgeries and current rehab.

Trevor Siemian and Matt Alviti, throwing during Saturday's
practice at Lakeside Field [BTN Image]