Court maintains ban on Reebok selling Tim Tebow jerseys - NFL News
Reebok’s bid to lift a ban on selling Tim Tebow’s New York Jets jersey’s by the apparel giant was struck down by a United States court on Wednesday.
Judge Kevin Castel had earlier placed the ban after Nike first moved the court over Reebok manufactured jerseys in the market even though the company’s 10-year deal with the National Football League (NFL) expired in March.
Reebok had argued during proceedings on Wednesday that according to its deal with the league it can continue to sell NFL related jerseys for two months after the expiration of its contract.
Castel agreed with that observation but also said that the clause was only placed to help Reebok sell off its excess stock and not produce more jerseys to take one final cash windfall.
Reebok took advantage of free agency movements of famous players by releasing New York Jets, quarterback, Tim Tebow and Denver Broncos, quarterback, Peyton Manning’s jerseys just days before Nike’s agreement with the league was to come into effect.
The Judge told Reebok’s lawyers during the hearing that.
"It's not your termination bonus; it's so you don't get stuck with unsold merchandise,"
Nike won the bidding process for manufacturing NFL jerseys for all 32 teams in the league in 2010 and ending Reebok’s 10-year run as the sole manufacturer of NFL gear.
The company unveiled the new uniforms on Tuesday in a big event in New York which was attended by several NFL players and league commissioner Roger Goodell.
Reebok during the hearings also contended that Nike’s branding efforts are not threatened by its sales of Tim Tebow merchandise and that the public will be able to buy its New York Jets apparel well before Nike’s jerseys hit stores in late April.
The Judge though also struck down that argument after saying.
"It is a minor hardship to Jets and Tim Tebow fans to have to wait till April 27 to get their jerseys,"
Both Nike and Reebok are fierce competitors in the American market and the rivalry has grown even stronger since European apparel giant Adidas bought Reebok.
A judgement on the case is still pending but until the proceedings continue Reebok will not be allowed to sell any of its Tim Tebow jerseys.
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