Northwestern University on Friday criticized a federal agency's landmark ruling giving Wildcat football players the green light to form the nation's first college athletic union, also confirming that it will appeal. If it withstands an appeal, the dramatic decision this week by the regional director of the National Labor Relations Board in Chicago, Peter Ohr, could fundamentally change a college sports industry worth billions of dollars. Vice President for University Relations Alan Cubbage said in a Friday statement that Ohr had ''applied incorrect legal standards.'' ''Northwestern believes the decision overlooked or completely ignored much of the critical testimony supporting the University's position that student-athletes are not employees of Northwestern,'' he said. The core question Ohr had to answer was whether football players who receive full scholarships to the Big Ten school are employees under federal law and, thereby, are allowed to unionize. More...