Washington Commanders Set To Pick New Mascot, And One Choice Could Lead To Legal Battle With Former Players

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The Washington Commanders are set to announce their new mascot during their home game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. And depending on the decision, they could be in for a trademark battle.

The two finalists for the new mascot are a hog and a dog. The team is set to honor members of its legendary 'Hogs' offensive line on the same day, so many are assuming they'll reveal a hog as the new mascot, but that could be problematic.

On Monday, 'Hogs' members released a press release to dispute with the Commanders and the team’s owner Dan Snyder. Former Washington players Joe Jacoby, Mark May, John Riggins, Fred Dean, and Doc Walker have formed O-Line Entertainment LLC. and the group is claiming Snyder and the franchise are trying to profit off of the 'Hogs' trademark.

The Commanders will choose between a hog and a dog as their newest mascot.

The group filed for a trademark for the name 'Hogs' in July and expert to be granted the trademark in early 2023.

“If they go forward on Sunday and make the hog their mascot and try to trademark it, we are going to be forced into trademark infringement litigation,” O-Line Entertainment attorney Seth Berenzweig told Front Office Sports. 

A fan vote earlier this year produced a hog and a dog as the two finalists for the new mascot with names such as Boss, EZ, Major, and others being potential titles for the new mascot.

Leave it up to Washington - a team who had to remove its Redskins nickname and mascot - to potentially choose a new mascot only to get into a trademark battle with its own former players.

This franchise is in shambles, but hey, what's another lawsuit for Washington and Snyder?

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.