NFL Retirees Win Settlement by Beau Buchmann

A federal jury ruled the NFL Players’ Association (NFLPA) owes $28.1 million to a group of retired NFL players whose images were not properly marketed. The ruling was based on the NFLPA’s exclusion of retired players from royalties earned on lucrative marketing deals with Electronics Arts, specifically on Madden NFL.

Anyone who has played Madden in the last ten years knows about the legendary teams from the past like the 1966 Packers and other dominant teams. Players on legendary teams are generic versions of the all-time greats who made those teams so special. Instead of displaying players’ names, like current teams, the players on legendary teams label players by numbers, but we all know who they are meant to resemble; just like games for college sports.

Unlike college athletes, the NFL players, current and retired, are professional athletes who have sold their labor to the NFL. The purpose of the NFLPA is to help its members capitalize on the services they provided. I was surprised to learn these retired players are still members of the union; they just don’t seem to receive the same kind of treatment as active players.

Although the NFLPA expects this judgment to be thrown out by the judge or overruled following an appeal.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-nflretirees&prov=ap&type=lgns