Retired NFL players have won a lawsuit against their players association involving the use of their likenesses in EA’s Madden football series, trading cards and other products, Bloomberg reports.

A group of 2,062 former players claimed that the National Football League Players Association didn’t pay money owed for licensing with EA and other companies. They argued that even if their images weren’t used, they still deserved a cut of the royalties. A federal jury agreed in San Francisco this week, granting a verdict in the amount of $28 Million, $21 million of which was in punitive damages.

"There are 143 vintage team games from Electronic Arts. These are teams that are people’s favorite. These men did nothing but trust their union," said Ronald Katz, who represents the player heading the lawsuit, Herb Adderley.

In a counterargument, the NFLPA claimed that the agreements only pertain to those who are currently active in the NFL, not to past players. The jury didn’t buy it.

Jeffrey Kessler, an NFLPA lawyer, was confident that the judge in the case would overturn the jury’s decision, and if that fails they plan to appeal. No lawsuit was issued against Electronic Arts by the former players.