NFL retirees awarded $28m in Madden suit, appeal pending
Score one for the old guys! A U.S. District Court jury in San Francisco has ruled in favor of a group of retired NFL players who filed a class-action lawsuit against the National Football League Players Association for the underhanded use of their likenesses in various Madden games. Basically, the guys were owed some dues, and the jury set the outstanding tab at $28 million ... or, split 2,062 ways, $13,000 per former player. Not surprisingly, the defense called the ruling "unjust as a matter of law" and will no doubt appeal the decision, despite some pretty scummy emails penned by NFLPA execs out on the evidence table; look no further than: "their identity must be altered so that it cannot be recognized" [NFLPA exec LaShun Lawson to Madden producer Jeremy Strauser].
A joyful and teary-eyed Herb Adderley told the L.A. Times, "If you look at the 1967 Green Bay Packers in [Madden], you'll know that the only left cornerback that year had to be Herb Adderley, but they scrambled my face and took the number off of my jersey. Yet, they had my correct height, weight and years of experience."
