Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer 10y

Wildcats' Siemian on union opposition

There are different opinions inside Northwestern's locker room on whether to form a union, but team leaders continue to speak out against unionization.

Senior quarterback Trevor Siemian went into greater detail Wednesday on why he opposes the formation of a union. Seventy-six Wildcats players will vote on April 25 on whether to form a union after being declared employees of the school by the regional director of Chicago's National Labor Relations Board office. A 50.1 percent majority (39 players, unless some abstain) is required to green-light the union.

Here's what Siemian had to say on the Big Ten West Division spring football teleconference:

  • He began by outlining how Northwestern has treated him "far better than I deserve" during his career. Although Siemian believes the union discussion began with good intentions, he wishes players first had consulted coach Pat Fitzgerald and athletic director Jim Phillips, who have advocated for them in the past. Fitzgerald on Saturday made a similar point, noting his position on the American Football Coaches Association board of trustees and how he meets regularly with Big Ten and NCAA officials.

  • "There's a significant amount of guys on the team that feel pretty similarly to me," Siemian said of the union debate.

  • Just because players signed union cards in January to seek employee status doesn't mean a union is in their best interests, Siemian said. He reiterated that bringing a third party (the College Athletes Players Association) into a favorable situation at Northwestern could have unintended consequences.

Fitzgerald didn't take questions Wednesday about the union push, but he said of Siemian: "There's no question Trevor is our leader. This is Trevor Siemian's football team."

Clearly, others feel differently than Siemian, who acknowledged that football teams feature members of different religions and backgrounds. But he has become much more influential this spring after sharing the quarterback duties with Kain Colter, who spearheaded the union push. Colter was Northwestern's undisputed leader the past two seasons and remains close to some players, but he's not on the team any more.

From talking to those in and around the program, I get the sense that players weren't fully aware of the ramifications when they signed the union cards in January. It's much more real now, the spotlight is brighter, and some have changed their minds.

Enough to vote down the union? We'll find out on April 25.

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