Former NFL'er and his suing game - Ingles

Former Buffalo Bills great Joe DeLamielleure, who has ripped the NFL and the Players Association for neglecting needy retired players, alleges in a federal lawsuit filed last week that the league and its union have conspired to keep his officially licensed jersey out of the marketplace.
DeLamielleure, the Hall of Fame guard who was O.J. Simpson's lead blocker in the early 1970s, says in the suit filed in Manhattan on Thursday that the defendants are trying to keep him from collecting royalty payments resulting from the sale of his official jersey.

The suit, which seeks more than $75,000 in damages and legal fees, also names NFL licensee Reebok and Players, Inc., the union's licensing arm, as defendants.

Delamielleure, a six-time Pro Bowler, says in the lawsuit that Reebok sent him a contract to create a Bills jersey with his name on the back, but would manufacture the item only after he sent the company a "large up-front fee" for production.

"Other retired players who had much less noteworthy NFL careers did not have to pay Reebok a large up-front fee to have their jerseys produced and sold," the lawsuit alleges.

Delamielleure's attorney, Justin Parafinczuk, declined comment when asked if he thought the conspiracy alleged in the suit was sparked by his client's criticism of the NFL and its union.

Gene Upshaw, the former Players Association chief, threatened to break Delamielleure's neck after the retired Bills' star criticized the union for neglecting indigent retirees.

This article was written by Michael O'Keeffe and appeared in New York Daily News.