Fansided

Texas A&M has sued Indianapolis Colts over 12th Man

By John Buhler

Oct 31, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Fans cheer during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Fans cheer during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Texas A&M has sued the Indianapolis Colts over usage of their 12th Man trademarks

According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, Texas A&M University sued the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts for violating their trademarked 12th Man. It seems that Colts owner Jim Irsay had not been paying royalties to the SEC school down in College Station, Texas.

The 12th Man is a sacred part of the culture down in College Station. The tradition of the 12th Man stems from when the Aggies football team had to call upon a member from the stands when they were short a player nearly a century ago. The day that E. King Gill left the stands to join the team, Gig Em Nation has embodied the “readiness, desire, and enthusiasm” to answer the call of duty for their football team when need be.

The other football team that embraces the 12th Man philosophy is the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, who pay Texas A&M University an annual sum to use the phrase to rally together their fan base at Century Link Field. Texas A&M has had over 550 infringement cases involving the 12th Man since the university trademarked it. The Indianapolis Colts now join that long list of football teams.

This season for the Indianapolis Colts takes another wrong turn. The team is 4-5, leading the worst division in football. Their starting quarterback Andrew Luck will miss the next 2-6 weeks with a lacerated kidney. Indianapolis is starting a 40-year-old at quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck. They’ve fired offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.

Head coach Chuck Pagano is supposedly having to appease the front office with his coaching decisions. New offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski is begging backup quarterback Jason Campbell out of retirement. Now Texas A&M is suing the Colts for infringing on the 12th Man trademark.

It’s less lucky horseshoes and mostly hand grenades in Indianapolis in 2015. What new and exciting developments will come out of the Indianapolis Colts this week? Who knows what come could about once they get out of their Week 10.

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