I agree with you "the bullit" This is not a matter of "opinion" or some kind of "vote for who is right" TV show or game. The law is very clear on this matter, if another company, person or entity uses your likeness or voice without your signing a waiver or agreeing to that waiver...you are entitled to compensation. The Reskins guy below is also right...they are mostley talking about 70s and 80s era players in this action. There was not nearly as much money at stake then as now. Upshaw (rest in peace) did his guys wrong. He was in a fiduciary contract with the players in the union and he was in complete violation of that agreement. I others words...He sold his boys out bad!!!

It's called 'royalties' boxingfan. If your likeness is used for someone else's profit, you are legally entitled to some of those profits. Kudos to Mark Kriegel for calling out everyone who looked the other way... including Madden.

I'm sorry, I don't agree with this article at all. Sure players got screwed back then, but it was wat it was a newly formed leage with really not that much money to go around. It was wat it was and it is what it is...how about we just focus on providing for current players that get injured and the players that are getting multi Million dollar deals give some of their salary to the old ones...how about that??

To all you young fans who obviously don't know what you are talking about when it comes to the old time player's salaries the average salary of an NFL player in 1970 was $23,000. even in 1970 that wasn't a lot of money and considering the average career of a player is about 4 years it is obvious old time players did not make a huge amount of money. And, yes, they are owed something since they are the ones who helped make the game as popular as it is today. Because of what they did they laid the foundation for the enormous TV contracts that have made the $1.1 million dollar average salary possible. Bottom line, they are owed every cent they can get.

Do the players on the cover of Madden get paid? Pay the piper EA Sports!

A percentage of today's salaries should go into the retirement fund to assist older players with medical problems. If EA Sports knowingly used "scarmbled" likenesses, they need to fork over the money. That's illegal. Shame on the union too. Way to sellout your members. Unions s---u-k!!

And by the way, I forgot: BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!

Kriegel: You imply wrongdoing by Madden throughout your article. Why didn't you state Up Front what you said near the end of your article: "I didn't say Madden was in any way responsible for the swindle. I said he should address the issues in the suit." I'm not sure whether or not Madden speaking out would change anything here, but unlike you he seems like a stand-up so I'm certain he will do whatever is right!

DezzNutz. Are you kidding? If a persons name or likeness is used to inhance a product, that person must be reimbursed. Perhaps you are too young or possibly "uniformed" to understand or know of the plights of some of the players that made it possible for the new guys to make the money they do. Shame on you igno!

First, Kriegel is an idiot. He got no actual answers or even talked to John Madden, but he went ahead and wrote an article talking sh*t about him anyways. <br /><br />Second, no offense, but these old players are just jealous of the new players being overpaid. Madden the video game is goin in its like 15 year, but only recently has this become an issue cuz the old players are trying to get paid posthumously.<br /><br />Lastly, as much as I feel for players who have medical conditions, I read somewhere the average monthly payment a retired plyer gets is around $4,000 a month,<br /><br />A month! <br /><br />Ditka goes around acting like these guys are getting screwed and these guys make more than twice what I make in a good month!<br /><br />These people we watch on TV have no grip on real world reality...if you cant live on $4K a month you need to change your lifestyle. PERIOD.

martyinmaine: these are mostly players from the old era of pro football where the players made minimal money for their efforts.I do agree with you that Madden personally has no culpability in this matter. where I differ with you is wheather these players made 50,000 5,000,000 a yearhas no bearing on the fact that they deserve their fair share of the business deal too. also on a personal note marty, you sounded like an intelligent man until your use of foul language gave you away. you know children and young people read these post too and it sets a bad example for someone who by your avatar, is using the image of a proud american while dropping your morals to a base level. there are literally thousands of words you can use to make your point without dropping to that level.

ATTN:MARTYINMAINE! Pull your head out of your A**!Did you read the article? Do know anything about the history behind this? First of all the players union isn't fighting for these players, the union has been stripping these older players of medical coverage that they should be providing for years. This isn't about the current players who are making millions, this is about the players who helped to build the NFL into what it is today, and most of them worked jobs outside of playing football, while they were playing football. None of these guys earned $1mil. from playing football, but the NFL still wants to use their names and likeness to profit. Your right, it is football, and while it may be a short career, it is still considered a career. The NFL is an employer, and it does have a retirement plan. Those are facts, you have nothing but an uninformed rant. I don't think Chuck Noll is trying to get on MTV Cribs, but it's interesting that your fat old a** is busy paying attention to the show. If you think it's stupid that someone should be paid for their likeness, why are you OK with Dead Dale having done it. You aren't required to copyright your likeness, that's why it's "Your" likeness. Your proud enough to stand in front of the flag for your picture, maybe you should read our laws and constition. I say good for these players, even though it's only a small amount of money for each of them, and hopefully this will help them to recieve the benefits they deserve directly from the NFL. This isn't about the players of today making millions, this is about the players who helped the league grow. The same players the NFL begs to come to events to help them promote itself, but refuses to step up and help them. Mike Ditka is doing just fine financially, and he's one of the biggest voices against the NFLPA'a policy for it's retired players. Before you rant next time, find out what it is your talking about.

Madden should speak up because the union isn't going to protect the old guys who built the game. Antoher fine example of yuppie ethics.

Cmon John! Take one PR hit for the many teams and people who believed and adored you!

How about the PLAYERS UNION invest in sound finacial coucling for these MULTI million dollar spoiled brats who out spend budget. Kind reminds me of the debocle going on with our nation right now. AIG can spend $440,000.00 on golf and "spa" and then have enough nerve to come BACK to congress and say, we're going to need a few more BILLION dollars, thank you very much! WHAT? These "players" need to have someone like thier MOM, or Dad get up in their grill and tell them very simply, "This sport you play is NOT going to last forever and it has a short expectancy on your body too, so you NEED to live like a NORMAL human being and put as much of these MILLIONS of dollars they're going to give you away in a secure (if there is such a thing anymore) savings account for when the GAME is over!" It is absolutely the most stupid thing I have heard that they should be PAID for thier likeness in a VIDEO game or that John Madden has ANY responsibilty for them getting ANY kind of compensation! MAYBE they should have been a smart investor and invested in a copy right for thier likeness and name, much like Dale Earnheart did. Even those he is dead, his family (widow) still banks cahs everytime his NAME is used! But most of these NFL players are more into this whole I wanna be on MTV Cribs Yo! I want to have my bling, a few houses so I can have my fun. Like you can't have fun in a home that cost $200 thousand, you HAVE to have the ones that cost $18 million! Please, . . I say F' k em! You're not smart enough to put cash away from when the joy ride is over and now you're all banged up! Here's a CLUE, . . IT'S FOOTBALL!!! DUH!!!

$28M split 2000 ways is about $14K each. Now what exactly would Madden say about this other than for the Player's Union to pay it. Then what? Madden should keep his own deep pockets out of it as long as he can.

An astounding article Mark.....I was glued to your every word.....Fantastic from beginning to end......No wonder why he is an award winning writer.....Awesome read....

For everyone saying 'What CAN Madden do?'... Well, he can either do nothing (which is what he'll probably do) or he could use this as an opportunity to help heal the rift between the union and the retired players. <br /><br />He doesn't need to castigate the NFL or anything, he should just say a few words that he hopes this legal decision helps the old-timers and such. He should just use his position of prominence to do what little he can to help end the rift or at least make it better.

JUSt "not" the same comparison..Sorry terrible post

we are all slaves somehow and corruption is always a constant state of the flesh. Let God sort it out. Your comparisons to cheaplabor is not congruent, I think that there is a cetain choice and passion for the game that players sacrifice themselves for it , the extreme challenge and the glory, the xcitement of being a pro player. the y give up more than some residuals for that sacrifice. They try to get some compensation but they really don't do it just for the money. Poor third world economies and cheaper manufacturing arejust the same comparison. i hope it works out for the players that were betrayed though, and I hope to learn Madden had no idea. Oh by the way, Jesus saves, and the whole sports industry is full of corruption, gambling and deceit. Unless you are that naive , players are basically thrown into the colusseum and used up for entertainment and sold like products until they are decayed to nothing.