Retired NFL players awarded $28m over EA games
Players' association found guilty of violating its member's licensing agreements with videogame and trading card deals
The National Football League Players Association has been ordered to pay its retired players USD 28 million in royalties over licensing agreements, including those made with Electronic Arts.
A jury said the union violated the terms of the players' group licensing agreements by failing to pay out royalties over various deals including videogames and trading cards, among others. The retired players claimed they were entitled to a share in royalties from Electronic Arts even if their own images weren't used.
"There are 143 vintage team games from Electronic Arts. These are teams that are people's favorite,'' said the players' lawyer, Ronald Katz, according to Bloomberg. "These men did nothing but trust their union.''
Jeffrey Kessler, a lawyer for the union, added: "The decision is contrary to the law and it's an unjust verdict and we are confident it will be overturned."