Madden 2010 News Post

NFL Players Now Intend to Sue Madden, EA

04:56 PM - April 19, 2009 by Steve_OS

Kotaku has the scoop.

Quote:


	"Fresh off a $28 million victory over their own union, a retired NFL player says his comrades are targeting John Madden and Electronic Arts for their roles in games using their likenesses without compensating them. Readers might recall that more than 2,000 retired NFL players won a collective $28 million judgment against the National Football League Players Association, upheld in January. Their suit alleged that the union advised EA to "scramble" the players' likenesses (numbers, heights, sometimes races, but not stats) in order to use them in historic team rosters without compensation."

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Member Comments

# 1 KANE699 @ 04/19/09 05:00 PM

How you guys want them historic rosters now?

# 2 KANE699 @ 04/19/09 05:01 PM

Dunno if they will win this though, its not their exact likeness, who cares if the stats are the exact same, thats not a true to life representation of someone, at least not in my eyes.

# 3 statum71 @ 04/19/09 05:06 PM

Couldn't care less. I don't have any use for historic teams or players anyway.

I'm mostly a season player. So if players aren't current I have no use for 'em. having Big Ben throw to Lynn Swann is just odd to me.

# 4 adembroski @ 04/19/09 05:09 PM

My god this is getting ridiculous.

# 5 SouthernBrick @ 04/19/09 05:17 PM

As much money as EA makes you would think they would pay them to have as much likelyness as possible.

# 6 Valdarez @ 04/19/09 05:22 PM

Nasty stuff happens all the way around when monopolies exist and back room deals are made. Ugly stuff for everyone, the consumers, the players, the NFL, and now EA.

# 7 xtoddx @ 04/19/09 05:37 PM

It's pretty hard to feel bad about this

# 8 Rocky @ 04/19/09 05:39 PM

Well, if one company is offering me 5 figures for my likeness and the other company is pretty much getting it for free, then I would be skeptical as well.

# 9 bang911 @ 04/19/09 05:41 PM

Well EA can just scramble the statistics and make the users create their own historic teams. The ex players do not deserve much money from EA.

We already have seen that historic teams are not very profitable in the long term (All-Pro 2k8).

# 10 bang911 @ 04/19/09 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guillotine 1


	They should be be compensated, end of story.

Yes they deserve to make some money if they are used, but I don't think EA gains much out of paying them.

EA needs to create their own contract that they feel is fair for each ex-player to sign.

# 11 NYG34 @ 04/19/09 05:47 PM

that bull we should be able to use historic teams.

# 12 bang911 @ 04/19/09 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capa


	The key to historic rosters is not necessarily including likenesses in the game. All EA has to do is open up the roster editing so we can edit everything about a player (name, skin color, jersey number with no restrictions, position, gear, etc), his team name, uniforms worn, etc. They don't have to go near including ANY retired players in the game. Just open up the editor..that's it. In other words, if I want to make the 2009 NY Giants into the 1986 Giants, I should be able to do so in the editor. Simple as that. They need not include any names, teams, etc. C

# 13 Nature_Boy @ 04/19/09 06:05 PM

I never use any of the historic rosters or teams. I might look at them for a few minutes but that's it.

# 14 NFLHITMAN @ 04/19/09 06:07 PM

Just imagine what would happen if EA jacked Al Capone? There needs to be some kind of infraction on EA's part not on Valdarez for speaking the truth LOL.

We live in a world today that has very little accountability and it will only get worse unless things like this is done swiftly!

# 15 SouthernBrick @ 04/19/09 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktg30


	Did you see the $350 million lost by EA thread?

Yeah but they had them in the game before they lost all that money. EA probably assumed the retired players are ok with it just because they have the NFL lisence that its ok to put people in a video game and not be paid.

Wrong Answer EA

...they should be paid no questions asked.

# 16 blackngoldfan @ 04/19/09 06:11 PM

No wonder the players wanted a lot of money to be on APF 2k8.They didn't wanna get burned again.

Please don't turn this into an EA vs 2k debate.It has nothing to do with the games.

# 17 Glorious Arc @ 04/19/09 06:11 PM

I have mixed feelings about all of this. In the short run your thinking pay the players but in the long run it hurts everyone else. Companies that get sued have to make up that money some way...That means firing people, raising prices....Those alone are scary things to think about

# 18 PolkaDot @ 04/19/09 06:14 PM

Thread title is a bit misleading . . . the article talks only about former players doesn't it? Could be mistaken . . .

This is some nasty business going on. I don't know the situation with the Player's Union, but why did they offer advice that goes against its principle of protecting the players (if that's even the main agenda)?

# 19 NFLHITMAN @ 04/19/09 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PolkaDot


	Thread title is a bit misleading . . . the article talks only about former players doesn't it? Could be mistaken . . . This is some nasty business going on. I don't know the situation with the Player's Union, but why did they offer advice that goes against its principle of protecting the players (if that's even the main agenda)?

It doesn't say present day NFL Players does it? Once a NFL Player you will always be associated with it. The thread title is right on.

# 20 radatdude2 @ 04/19/09 06:27 PM

i really don't know why they have these historic rosters on the game any way who really uses them? but if they are in the game then they should be compensated just like everyone else

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