In the history of bizarre, sports related court battles, this one was right up there.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and his attorneys officially ended his lawsuit against Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman, filing to dismiss a lawsuit over copyright infringement in regards to the trademark used of “No. 8” by both Jackson and Aikman, who share the same jersey number.
“After more than a year, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson has withdrawn his challenge to Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman’s use of the No. 8 in trademarks Aikman and his company filed for in 2024, according to records from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,” ESPN’s Michael Rothstein wrote on August 13. “Jackson’s attorney, Andrea Evans, filed a motion to withdraw the opposition with prejudice and without consent of Aikman’s team earlier this week. The claims of opposition had been agreed to be dismissed by the Patent and Trademark Office’s appeal board Tuesday.”
The withdrawal of the lawsuit allows Aikman to continue to use the No. 8 as well as “EIGHT” for various merchandising purposes.
Jackson, a 2-time NFL MVP, is one of the NFL’s highest paid players but doesn’t have many lucrative endorsement contracts — partly the result of not having an agent.
In April 2023, Jackson negotiated his current 5-year, $260 million contract extension with the Ravens on his own, which included a $72.5 million signing bonus and approximately $185 million in guaranteed money.
If you’re confused as to how this lawsuit came about in the first place, that’s understandable.
While Jackson is one of the great professional athletes to wear No. 8 he’s hardly the first to doit and not even the most famous to do it in his own city — that would be Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.
Aikman One of NFL’s Greatest QBs of All Time
Aikman is widely considered one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks of all time and the leader of the 1990s dynasty for the Cowboys, winning 3 Super Bowls from 1992 to 1995 alongside fellow Hall of Fames Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin on offense.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft out of UCLA, Aikman played 11 seasons for the Cowboys before his career was cut short by concussions. He was a 6-time Pro Bowler and was named Super Bowl XXVII MVP after the first of the Cowboys’ 3 Super Bowl wins.
Aikman has been an NFL color commentator since his retirement and is currently part of ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast team alongside play-by-plan man Joe Buck.
Jackson Likely to Join Aikman in Pro Football HOF
While Jackson has yet to even play in the Super Bowl, it’s a safe bet he’ll join Aikman in the Hall of Fame once his career is over.
According to the Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm), Jackson’s career rating of 81.40 puts him at No. 26 in NFL history for his position. It already puts him ahead of seven Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback; a list that includes Warren Moon (71.30), Joe Namath (70.00), Aikman (64.28) and Jim Kelly (59.10).
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