U.S. District Judge William Alsup upheld a decision to award retired NFL players $28.1 million in the group's lawsuit against the league's player union over allegations they were cheated by an unfavorable deal with EA.

A federal jury ruled in November that the former NFL players were due $7.1 million for the use of their likenesses and $20.9 million in punitive damages for uncredited appearances in EA Sports' Madden NFL games, an award that union lawyers said was "unjust," saying they were "confident it will be overturned." They also said "Hissss!!!", allegedly, when presented with crosses.

According to Bloomberg, Judge Alsup wrote in his decision that the players union created an "illusion" that the retired footballers would be properly marketed by the organization. He also wrote that the $28 million plus owed to the athletes was both "within the bounds of reasonableness" and "not disproportionate to the wrong done."

E-mails from the NFL Players Association imply that the organization cheated retired players out of money in order to curry favor with Electronic Arts, which holds the exclusive license to produce NFL sanctioned football video games.

The players engaged in the lawsuit have yet to be paid, pending appeals.

Federal Judge Upholds $28 Million Award to Retired NFL Players [Bloomberg]

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