The NFL Players Association has reached a $26 million settlement with retired players who had successfully sued the union for cutting them out of lucrative marketing deals.

NFLPA official George Atallah told The Associated Press on Thursday that the settlement has been reached, ending an appeal filed by the union in the case.
Retired player Bob Grant described the deal as an “encouraging” step for the NFLPA to begin healing its long-standing rift with former players.
The settlement is $2.1 million less than what the NFLPA was ordered to pay after a federal jury ruled in favor of the players. The jury determined the union failed to include retired NFL players in deals with Electronic Arts Inc., the maker of the “Madden NFL” video game, and other companies.