T.V. newsman John Facenda died in 1984, but his deep, resonant voice lives on, thanks mainly to its use by the National Football League and the league's video unit, NFL Films.

But according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Facenda's family has filed a federal lawsuit against the league and NFL Films over the use of Facenda's rich baritone in Making of Madden 2006, a promotional video for last year's edition of the long-running pro football game published by EA Sports. The game publisher has an exclusive deal with the league for pro football video games which use NFL logos and other licensing features.

Facenda vs. NFL Films was filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on Monday. The Facenda family's attorney Paul Lauricella said that the broadcaster agreed to allow the NFL to use his voice for its football highlights, but not to promote other types of businesses. The amount of damages sought by the family remains unspecified.

The Associated Press spoke with Lauricella, who claimed that Facenda's voice opened the Making of Madden 2006 and was used later in the video, which the attorney called a "30-minute commercial for the Madden game."
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