Tebowmaniacs will have to wait three more weeks before they can start wearing their pride in the Jets’ new quarterback.
A judge today refused to lift an order barring Reebok from selling Jets gear with Tim Tebow’s name and number because it lost its NFL licensing deal to rival Nike.
“It is a minor hardship to Jets and Tim Tebow fans to have to wait ’til April 27 to get their jerseys,” Manhattan federal Judge Kevin Castel said.
The ruling capped a daylong hearing at which Reebok exec Kenneth Gamble testified that he got permission from the head of the NFL Players Association to continue selling shirts bearing the names of up to five recently traded stars.
Gamble, a former running back with the Kansas City Chiefs, choked up on the stand while discussing a deposition in which Keith Gordon denied giving Gamble the go-ahead.
Reebok sold retailers about 6,000 jerseys and 25,000 T-shirts after Tebow was traded to the Jets last month, but they were pulled from store shelves after Nike filed suit and got a temporary restraining order.