Madden, EA Targets of Suit by Retired Players

GamePolitics is reporting that retired NFL players are planning on suing John Madden and Electronic Arts over the Madden NFL series of football games. Last year, retired players won a $28 million dollar judgement against the NFL Players Association. The jury ruled that the NFLPA failed to responsibly represent retired players.

While this victory was significant for the retired players, former Cleveland Brown Bernie Parrish has the recently retired Madden and EA in his sights. "The retired NFL players who were used in Madden EA video games will be suing Madden and EA for using us in those games without compensating us," wrote Parrish. "Madden's agent Sandy Montag boasts he and Madden collected over $100,000,000 in royalties while paying the retired NFL players used in those games absolutely nothing. Madden knows that the ugly truthful litigation is coming and is probably factoring that into his retirement. I doubt he wants to answer all those fans who will be asking, 'Why, John Madden? Why did you screw all those retired players over, you seemed like such a friendly, good-natured buffoon?'"

"We probably will not use Manatt Phelps and Phillips and McKool Smith the attorneys who obtained a $28.1 million verdict for us against the NFLPA for 'scrambling retired players identities' in those video games," he continued. "The jury found it a 'grossly fraudulent' action taken so they wouldn't have to pay the retired players. That case Parrish v NFLPA Case No. 07 0943 WHA carries $21 million in punitive damages and is being appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals which does not mean the decision has been overturned nor does it lessen the verdict found by the jury. In my opinion, Madden should have been included in our licensing suit against the NFLPA and so should EA."