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Club Play is a relative newcomer on South Beach’s party scene, but the Fifth Street hot spot has already hosted major events featuring sports and music stars. Unfortunately for them, they’ve just made a powerful enemy: the National Football League. The NFL is investigating a flyer for the club’s May 20 party, dubbed the official after-party for porn convention Exxxotica Miami Beach, because it used pictures of players in their uniforms.
Brandon Flowers (Kansas City Chiefs), Eric Berry (Chiefs), Kareem Jackson (Houston Texans), Jacoby Ford (Oakland Raiders) & Major Wright (Chicago Bears) were all listed as hosts of the events. The NFL can’t really dictate what types of parties their players are associated with, but they can take legal action over the misuse of their team’s trademarks.
A flyer for the party featured pictures of all five players in their uniforms.
“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 a Chicago TV Station. “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.”
It’s unclear exactly at this point which party could face the repercussions: Club Play, Exxxotica or associated promoters.
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