Judge upholds $28.1M verdict against NFL union

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge has upheld a jury award of $28.1 million to retired football players who sued the NFL Players' Association for allegedly failing to properly market their images.

The judge said today there was sufficient evidence presented at trial in November that the union actively sought to cut out the retired players from lucrative contracts for the benefit of current players.

The jury said the union owed the retirees $7.1 million in actual damages for failing to include them in lucrative marketing deals with Electronic Arts Inc., the maker of the popular "Madden NFL" video games, and other sponsorship agreements.

The jury also ordered $21 million punitive damages. Distribution of the money will be determined later.