New HBO Series Starring Dwayne Johnson Uses Official NFL Team Logos, Uniforms

HBO's "Ballers" is set to become the first TV series to "use the names of logos of NFL teams without the express written consent" of the league, according to Mike Florio of PRO FOOTBALL TALK. The pilot episode of the half-hour show, which stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and debuts June 21, "begins with Johnson’s character laying in bed, having flashbacks to his career" playing for the Dolphins and against the Bills. Both team uniforms "are used, without alteration." The first episode also "includes a scene from a conference room with a Packers logo on the wall." An HBO spokesperson in a statement said, "HBO is always mindful of other intellectual property owners, but in this context there is no legal requirement to obtain their consent.” Florio noted the first episode "focuses in part on an NFL player who has sex in the bathroom of a nightclub with a woman he had just met, and who then beats up a fan who confronts the player about keeping the bathroom occupied for an extended period of time." HBO has a "separate business relationship with the NFL" through the annual "Hard Knocks" series. The NFL "could squeeze HBO now" for the same reason it "squeezed ESPN more than a decade ago" for its involvement with "Playmakers." Since the NFL "currently has no comment, it’s hard to know what the league will (or won’t) do about the situation" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 6/7).