Madden Lawsuit Settled for $26 Million

The New York Times is reporting that retired football players have settled their lawsuit with the NFL Players Association. The NFLPA will pay out $26 million to the over 2,000 retirees, a slight decrease from the $28.1 million awarded by a jury earlier this year for lost royalties from items like video games such as Madden NFL from EA.

The NFLPA's executive director DeMaurice Smith thinks this will be a large step forward for both active and retired NFL players to work together. Disability and pension benefits have been a contentious issue between both parties in recent years. Herb Adderley, a former defensive back and plaintiff, said that Smith gave respect to the retired players. "This is a step forward in our effort to become one team," said Smith via a spokesman.

The retired players will end up receiving about $10,000 apiece, half coming in 2009 and the rest by 2011. "They got a 10 percent discount and we got our money now," said Ronald S. Katz, the lead lawyer for the players. "A lot of them are elderly and a lot of them are ill, and for them to get this money is very substantial. To have the full amount years from now would not mean anything."

We're glad to hear that relations between retired players and the NFLPA are starting to improve. Many of these old players, mangled by the sport, have been fighting for better compensation for years, and they didn't seem to be asking too much of America's biggest sport.