Ex-Seahawk Awarded $543,000

The Seattle Seahawks owe former wide receiver Sam McCullum $543,000 for cutting him from the team because of his union activities, the National Labor Relations Board ruled Thursday.

The NLRB had ruled that the Seahawks owed McCullum $250,000 but more than doubled the award after an administrative law judge ruled in March that McCullum should be paid for the final three months of the 1984 season.

“This is definitely very gratifying,” McCullum said. “They could have settled this for $10,000 nine years ago.”

McCullum was the team’s representative with the NFL Players Assn. He was cut by the Seahawks four days before the 1982 players’ strike.

Seahawk General Manager Tom Flores said the team will review the Aug. 27 ruling before deciding whether to file an appeal with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

McCullum, who said he would no longer pursue an out-of-court settlement with the Seahawks, had contended that his career was ended prematurely by his release.