• Loading stock data...
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

USC’s Lawyer Calls Football and Basketball ‘Extracurricular Activities’

  • The comments were made during opening statements in a labor law trial related to whether certain athletes should be considered employees.
  • Testimony from the case’s first witness, former USC football player Brandon Outlaw, presented a much different picture.
USC's lawyer referred to USC football and basketball as extracurricular activities.
Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

At a trial over the concept of college athlete employment on Monday, a lawyer representing USC described Division I college football and basketball — programs that often earn millions for schools every year — as “extracurricular activities.” The lawyer said that big-time college sports were more similar in experience to USC’s marching band, or even to high school sports teams, than they were to an employee-employer relationship.

The trial is tied to a National Labor Relations Board “unfair labor practice” charge filed by an athlete advocacy group called the National College Players Association in 2022. The charge argued that USC football and basketball players should be considered employees of their school, their conference, and the NCAA. If the NCPA wins the case, the NCAA’s entire business model of amateurism would, in essence, immediately be deemed illegal.

USC’s lawyer, Adam Abrahms, made the comments to bolster the argument that athletes should be classified as amateurs, and that they should not be employees. 

The NCAA's model of amateurism is on trial this week in labor court.

The NCAA’s Amateurism Model Is on Trial: Everything You Need To Know

A labor court in L.A. could reclassify some D-I athletes as employees.
December 18, 2023

But testimony provided on Monday by former USC running back Brandon Outlaw painted a much different picture than one of “extracurricular activities” — one where almost every aspect of his life was controlled by the team.

Outlaw, who walked on to the team in 2021 but redshirted, testified that in his experience athletes spent an average of 50 to 60 hours each week on football-related activities during the season, and between 30 and 40 hours the rest of the year. That included everything from mandatory film sessions and practices to mandatory team meals and travel, during which athletes were subject to strict schedules dictated by coaches.

Outlaw described how the team attempted to control what athletes said publicly on social media and to journalists — and when he violated one of those policies, he was told “that’s not how we do things here.”

USC, he said, even controlled athletes’ bodies: Players were required to participate in weigh-ins to meet  goals and had to submit urine samples on a weekly basis to check their hydration levels. “If you were extremely dehydrated … they would put it on the projector at the team meeting,” Outlaw said about the public reprimands athletes received if they failed these tests. (Outlaw conceded during cross-examination that the reprimands for these health tests did not go so far as kicking players off the team.)

USC has not yet been able to expand on its “extracurricular activities” comments beyond cross-examination. In one line of questioning, the school’s lawyer tried to establish that high school and youth sports teams, which are extracurricular activities, shared similar rules and requirements with college sports teams, such as practice schedules and expectations during travel.

“College sports is a $17 billion dollar industry,” NCPA executive director Ramogi Huma, who was present at the hearing but not on the witness stand, told Front Office Sports. “Texas A&M just paid a $77 million dollar payout just to fire its football coach, and the NCAA President recently proposed to allow colleges to pay unlimited money to their athletes. It is clear: FBS football and Division I basketball are not just extracurricular sports.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mayor Calls Commanders RFK Stadium Deal ‘a BFD’ for D.C.’s Future

The NFL team makes a series of additional commitments.

Trey Hendrickson Ends $450K Holdout Without New Bengals Deal

The defensive end is seeking a raise on his $16 million 2025 salary.

Browns Push Forward on $2.4B Stadium Despite Political Obstacles

The NFL team plans a stadium groundbreaking, despite funding and legal issues.

How Sports Leagues Are Responding to NFL Headquarters Shooting

The building housing the NFL headquarters was barricaded and closed Tuesday.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Rutgers

Rutgers Finds New Athletic Director After Almost a Year

Rutgers’s previous athletic director, Pat Hobbs, resigned in August 2024.
July 24, 2025

UNC’s Bill Belichick Brings His NFL Swagger to ACC Media Days

UNC is becoming one of the most interesting stories in college football.
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Mitchell Evans (88) runs the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
July 25, 2025

‘More Bark Than Bite’: What Trump’s Executive Order Means for College Sports

“This all comes down to Congress and the courts.”
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
President Donald Trump speaks during the American 250 kickoff event on July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrouds.
July 24, 2025

Trump Signs Executive Order on College Sports Pay

The order marks Trump’s first foray into legislating college sports compensation.
July 24, 2025

ACC’s Phillips on FSU, Clemson: ‘It Can Never Be About a School..

The commissioner isn’t worried about more conference realignment.
Jul 22, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort.
exclusive
July 23, 2025

As Other Power Leagues Shy Away From PE, the Big Ten Continues..

Tony Petitti told FOS conversations were ongoing.
Bill Belichick
July 23, 2025

UNC Sells Out All Football Tickets for Belichick Debut Season

Consistent drama around Belichick’s first college season has only helped ticket sales.