The magnetic pull of Tim Tebow was just too much for Reebok to resist. Rival athletic wear maker Nike has accused the company of selling unauthorized apparel featuring everyone’s favorite controversial National Football League (NFL) quarterback. Unwilling to wait for an act of God to save their rightful slice of the Tebow pie, Nike filed a lawsuit against Reebok on Tuesday.
According to the lawsuit, Reebok had an agreement to sell clothing featuring NFL players, but by March 1, it had expired and Nike’s licensing agreement with the NFL Players Association began. Nike also claims to have an individual agreement with Tebow to use his name on products.
After March 1, Reebok was authorized to continue selling its remaining products featuring Tebow from his days with the Denver Broncos, his former team. Tebow was traded to the New York Jets on March 21, and Nike alleges that Reebok took advantage of the sudden demand for Tebow/Jets apparel by “supplying, without authorization or license, Tebow-identified New York Jets apparel to retailers in New York and elsewhere around the country.”
