Updated

The latest on the National Labor Relations Board's decision preventing Northwestern University football players from unionizing (all times are local):

12:05 p.m.

The vice president for university relations at Northwestern says school officials are pleased by a National Labor Relations Board ruling preventing college football players from forming a union.

In a statement released Monday after the decision, Alan K. Cubbage thanked the players for "bringing national attention to these important issues" but said "collective bargaining are not the appropriate methods to address the concerns."

Cubbage says the school maintains that participation in athletics isn't a separate entity from being a student athlete. He says the university will work with the athletes to address their concerns about the long-term health impact of playing intercollegiate sports, including by providing additional academic aid and other opportunities.