Voting Ends On Northwestern Sports Union Question

A vote by Northwestern football players on whether to form the nation's first union for college athletes has concluded.

Results won't be known for months and perhaps years while the university appeals a regional ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that paved the way for Friday's vote.

Still, those behind the push were already celebrating. One of them was Kain Colter, the former Northwestern quarterback who led the effort.

He says in a statement that players are "one step closer to a world where college athletes are not stuck with sports-related medical bills, do not lose their scholarships when they are injured ... and are given better opportunities to complete their degree.''

University spokesman Alan Cubbage says the school opposes a union but is ready to discuss change.