Ira Mayer

In a showdown between sports merchandising giants, Nike alleged that Reebok illegally sold Tim Tebow shirts and other apparel soon after he was traded to the Jets last week, according to a complaint filed late Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan. “Despite not having any current right or license to produce new N.F.L. products featuring N.F.L. player identification (i.e., player name and number), Reebok is producing and selling Tim Tebow-identified New York Jets apparel products in order to capitalize on the public’s short-lived intense consumer appetite for such products, and to prevent Nike from doing so,” the complaint said.