A federal judge on Wednesday extended a ban on Reebok International Ltd. from manufacturing and selling New York Jets apparel featuring new Jets quarterback Tim Tebow. The order follows a lawsuit from Nike, which which became the NFL's official jersey supplier on April 1.
At a hearing in Manhattan federal court, U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel said that Nike had shown “a probability of success on the merits” in its lawsuit against Reebok.
Nike claimed Reebok was selling unauthorized Jets T-shirts and other apparel featuring Tebow in its lawsuit filed last week.
By allowing Reebok to sell New York Jets items with Tebow's name, “Nike loses the opportunity to associate itself” with Tebow among Jets fans and his fans nationwide, the judge said.
An agreement between Reebok and the National Football League Players Association to market merchandise featuring player names and numbers expired on Feb. 28. A separate decade-long agreement between the apparel maker and the NFL to market NFL jerseys expired on March 31.
