Dave Wilson is an editor for ESPN.com since 2010. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.
The University of Houston‘s season-opening throwback uniforms that evoked memories of the old Houston Oilers were wildly popular among players and fans. Not so much with the NFL.
The NFL’s merchandising and licensing division sent a cease-and-desist letter to the school demanding it halt any further use of the uniforms, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.
On Sept. 2, the Cougars wore Columbia blue uniforms with a white Houston script across the front outlined in red — similar to the jerseys worn by the Houston Oilers during their “Luv Ya Blue” era. The university was careful to say their uniforms were a tribute to “H-Town Pride” in a nod to the city’s fondness for the Oilers, who decamped for Tennessee after the 1996 season.
After the move, the NFL team was dubbed the Tennessee Oilers for two seasons before becoming the Tennessee Titans. The team, however, retained the rights to the Oilers’ trademarks.
The Titans wore their own Oilers throwbacks Sunday, which was a source of bitterness for football fans in Houston. The Titans are planning to again wear the throwbacks against the Houston Texans on Dec. 17 in Nashville.
The cease-and-desist letter sent from the NFL to the University of Houston was first reported by the Houston Chronicle, which obtained the letter via an open records request from an attorney for the NFL.
According to the Chronicle, the letter said UH’s “blatant copying” of the Oilers’ jerseys was grounds for legal action and it demanded that the university discontinue any sales of merchandise and remove any promotional or social media posts that feature the imagery.
The university did not attempt to market the uniforms, which were revealed in a video narrated by Carl Lewis.
“The Houston Cougars’ attempt to free ride on the popularity of the NFL and the club violates the intellectual property rights of the NFL and the (Tennessee) Titans,” attorney Bonnie L. Jarrett wrote in the Oct. 13 letter, according to the Chronicle, which reported the letter said the Oilers design is “among the most famous and valuable NFL marks.”
Rice wore similar Columbia blue uniforms on Sept. 30 against East Carolina. The Chronicle cited a university source saying the school had not heard from the NFL.
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk is the daughter of former Oilers owner Bud Adams and is from Houston. Former Texans player JJ Watt often espoused a desire to wear Oilers throwbacks, but Strunk has long rebuffed any overtures from the uniforms to be used in Houston.
The letter, according to the Chronicle, said the NFL and the Titans were “disappointed to learn that the Houston Cougars made unauthorized use of the Oilers Trade Dress in a manner that is likely to cause consumers to believe that the Houston Cougars are associated with, or are an authorized licensee of, the NFL and the Titans.”
The issue won’t go away anytime soon.
“I lived and played in Houston,” Watt told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday. “I wanted to wear those uniforms very badly. They have such a massive history and tradition of ‘Luv Ya Blue’ with Bum Phillips and everything that went on there. I understand the end with Bud Adams and everything that happened. I don’t even want to get into all of that.
“I just know, having lived and played there for 10 years, and the people there and the connection they have to Earl Campbell, Warren Moon, to Billy White Shoes, to the guys that wore those uniforms and what that meant when they played in that Astrodome, it hurts to not be able to wear those in Houston and it hurts to see them being worn somewhere else.”
The Minnesota Twins are on a roll. They extended their winning streak to 11 games Thursday with a 4-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles that completed a series sweep. Their confidence carried over to social media, too, as they trolled the Orioles.
Minnesota used a three-run third inning to propel itself to victory, with home runs from DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Byron Buxton.
The Twins hold the longest win streak in MLB; its their their longest run of victories since winning 12 straight from April 22 to May 4 last season, according to ESPN Research. The franchise record is 15 set in 1991.
Minnesota poked fun at Baltimore’s namesake with a post after the game, referring to the Orioles also being known as the “O’s” — and swapping a zero in for the O.
Campbell worked out at first before Friday night’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora addressed the situation when he spoke to reporters before the game.
“Looking for options,” Cora told reporters. “Obviously, we’re getting Romy [Gonzalez] probably at the end of the week, early next week, but just introduce him to first base and see how he looks. That’s where we’re at.”
Casas ruptured the tendon in his left knee while running to first base during a game against the Minnesota Twins earlier this month. His replacement at first, Gonzalez, was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a left quad contusion last week.
One potential replacement, star slugger Rafael Devers, said after Casas went down that he would not be open to moving to first after he went from third base to designated hitter during spring training to make room for Alex Bregman.
Campbell, one of baseball’s top prospects, broke camp with the big league team and has been its primary second baseman through the start of the season. He has also played in the outfield and at shortstop and third base in his career, but never first.
Asked what he would need to see for Campbell to be a realistic option at first for his team, Cora added: “The process started, right? It can take 10 days, 15 days, a month, two months. But we started the process and introduced him to first.”
ARLINGTON, Texas — Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. gave up two unearned runs over four innings against the Texas Rangers on Friday, six nights after the right-hander failed to get out of the first inning in a game that he said was followed by online threats.
McCullers, who is making a comeback after sitting out two full seasons because of injuries, gave up seven runs while getting only one out in Houston’s 13-9 loss last Saturday, then said afterward that he had received online death threats directed at his children. The Astros said Houston police and Major League Baseball security were alerted to the threats.
The 31-year-old right-hander on Friday made only his third start for the Astros since the 2022 World Series. He earned a no-decision.
McCullers needed 83 pitches to get through his four innings and he threw 53 strikes. He struck out two, walked one and gave up four singles.
The only runs against McCullers came when Jonah Heim had a two-run single with two outs in the second inning. That was three batters after shortstop Jeremy Peña was charged with an error when he failed to catch a throw from McCullers, who was trying to get the lead runner at second base after fielding a comebacker.
Jake Burger, whose homer was the only run in the Rangers’ 1-0 win in the series opener Thursday night, then had an infield popout before Heim’s hit into the right-field corner.
Astros manager Joe Espada said before Friday’s game that McCullers mentally was “in a good spot. Physically, he’s fine. He just needs to go out there and just have some confidence and pitch, be aggressive in the zone and we have his back.”
McCullers had surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, and was rehabbing last June when he had a setback during a bullpen session that shut him down for the rest of the season. He made four starts in the minor leagues this year before rejoining the Astros rotation on May 4.
“We all have confidence he can do it. He just needs to go out there and do his thing,” Espada said. “It’s going to happen.”
McCullers is 49-33 and 3.53 ERA in 133 games (130 starts) for the Astros since his big league debut with them in 2015.
An All-Star in 2017, McCullers went 10-6 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 games in 2018 before Tommy John surgery. He was 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 28 starts in 2021, then signed an $85 million, five-year contract that goes through 2026.