Five NFL players were featured in a recent advertisement for an Exxxotica Expo 2011 party in Miami last month. The problem: They were in uniform.
“The NFL office works on behalf of the clubs to protect their intellectual property rights in matters such as this” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told ABC-7 in Chicago, who broke the story.
The players in the ad who were said to be “hosts” of the party: Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers, Bears safety Major Wright, Chiefs safety Eric Berry, Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson, and Raiders wideout Jacoby Ford. (Here’s the ad.)
“Our legal team is reviewing the ad. In general, companies not affiliated with the NFL or its clubs may not depict a player in his uniform” said McCarthy.
The Bears said they are “troubled” by Wright’s usage and believe it’s an inappropriate use of their logo, so they alerted the league about it. They pointed out that sometimes players are unaware their images are used in such events, but ABC-7 calls Wright a “fixture” of the Miami party scene. Rookies like Daniel Thomas and Corey Liuget were also in the ad.
The event was billed as the official launch party for the Expo, which will take place in the Chicago area in July. It’s said to be the world’s largest gathering of porn stars in the world.
We know the NFL is losing advertisers because of the lockout, so perhaps they should embrace this as an opportunity.
What’s more successful (and American) than football and porn?