Tom Izzo has enough on his mind trying to prepare for top-seeded Virginia Friday at Madison Square Garden in the Sweet 16, but even the Michigan State coach took notice of Wednesday’s ruling that members of the Northwestern football team are employees of the school and could therefore vote to form a union.
“I do get a little bit amazed. … I think sometimes we take rights to a whole new level,” Izzo said. “I just hope my 13-year-old right now isn’t negotiating his phone and his bedtime. So when I get back, I’m going to have the union boss sitting there telling me what to do. Maybe that’s the way it’s headed.”
Izzo was kidding, but it’s clear people are divided on the decision handed down by Peter Ohr of the National Labor Relations Board that the Northwestern players met the necessary requirements to qualify as employees under the National Labor Relations Act — agreeing with the team’s case that an athletic scholarship constitutes being paid for work.
Not surprisingly, those playing in this NCAA Tournament had a different view.
“It’s interesting,’’ Virginia senior Akil Mitchell said. “I definitely think there’s some merit to the idea student athletes should at least be looked at as employees. … It will be interesting to watch as it plays out.”
Whether Mitchell believes his fellow college athletes should be paid, the forward was less certain.
“I think compensated is a better word,” Mitchell said. “Paid is iffy.”
There’s a long way to go before that becomes a topic of debate, since the ruling is all but certain to be appealed by the school. Still, the ruling was a significant victory for the College Athletes Players Association — the players’ potential union — and the United Steelworkers union, which has supported the players in the case.
“I think there’s a process in rights,” Izzo said. “And you earn that. We always want to speed the process up. As I said to my guys, ‘There’s a reason you’ve got to be 36 to be president.’ ”
Most coaches who addressed the topic Thursday were wary of taking too strong a stand on either side.
“I know the NCAA is doing a great job,” UConn head coach Kevin Ollie said. “I know our student- athletes are doing a great job and hopefully we can find a common place where we can meet in the middle, because we need the NCAA and then we need our student- athletes to keep doing what they’re doing on the basketball court, but most importantly off the court getting good grades and getting their degree. So I think it’s hopefully a great marriage that can stay together and hopefully both sides can compromise.”
Whew.
And it wasn’t just the coaches who seemed unwilling to offend when addressing the topic.
“It’s a sticky situation,” Iowa State forward Melvin Ejim said. “There are multiple avenues of the way people can look at it and some people think it’s a success, some people think it’s not. But for us as players right now it doesn’t affect us right now, so why worry about it?”
UConn’s Terrence Samuel, a Brooklyn native, wasn’t shy.
“A lot of people make money off of us watching the games,” Samuel said. “They make a lot of money off us, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to start paying college athletes. … I would be happy to have a little income coming in.”
Montrezl Harrell of Louisville told The Post: “It’s going to be a long process. If they start paying college athletes, then why is it not considered the pros?”
Some coaches, like Tennessee’s Cuonzo Martin and Virginia’s Tony Bennett, saw the issue from both sides.
“Of course, when I was playing I’d say, ‘Yeah, pay players, you need some money,’ ” Martin said. “But I think when you start paying players, how much are you paying, who is getting paid? Because if you’re paying this athlete, I think all athletes are the same. You pay the tennis player the same you pay the football player, I don’t think that changes.”
Bennett had similar thoughts.
“I can remember doing a speech in front of my class as a freshman when I was in college, explaining why I think college athletes should get a stipend to the class,” Bennett said. “I remember the class looking at me at the time like, ‘You’re crazy. What are you talking about?’ And I tried to explain. But it’s a wonderful game. The players do a lot for the game. Hopefully there’s going to be some good things coming.”
Additional reporting by Howie Kussoy in Indianapolis and Zach Braziller in New York