College football and basketball players are one step closer to being recognized as employees of their schools after the U.S. National Labor Relations Board ruled that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is “violating the law” and denying them their rights, according to a report from Bloomberg. The claim was filed by the National College Players Association (NCPA) on behalf of athletes at the University of Southern California (USC) in February of this year, citing employers’ misclassification of college athlete employees as “student-athletes” along with other violations. The Pac-12 Conference was also pinpointed as a legal employer of the athletes, Bloomberg confirmed via NLRB press secretary Kayla Blado, who said in an email that its LA office will pursue charges of unfair labor practices. “Coaches, athletic directors, and conference commissioners are making millions of dollars while NCAA sports denies athletes fair compensation, breaks minimum wage and overtime laws, and avoids workers compensation while hazardous workplace conditions remain unchecked,” NCPA Executive Director Ramogi Huma said.