Less than a month ago, EA Sports announced it was working with a sports licensing firm to sign up players to appear in the 2024 reboot of its college football game.
But the plan could have hit a hitch.
On3 reported Wednesday that the College Football Players Association is urging the players not to sign on because of low compensation for their name, image and likenesses (NIL).
Per the report, the players would share about $5 million — about $500 each and without royalties.
Justin Falcinelli, who played at Clemson and is the vice president of the players association, said it isn’t enough.
“All current players should boycott this deal. It is an opt-in deal, and they should not opt into it,” he told On3. “It is just a ridiculously low amount of money, given the context and the hype that surrounds this game.”
Falcinelli told On3 he asked NFL players what they were paid for inclusion in the Madden video game series and learned from one that he received $28,000.
“It is a simple cash grab to just try to get you for the lowest amount possible,” he told On3. “And it’s OneTeam Partners and all these organizations that don’t really represent the players’ best interest.”
On May 17, EA Sports announced it had paired with OneTeam Partners to arrange for player inclusion.
Production of the popular game ended in 2013 over issues concerning compensating players for use of their NIL. EA Sports announced in 2021 that production would resume following movement on the NIL front.
–Field Level Media