Sue Bird followed through on her threat to The Rock and the XFL.
In April, Bird and her wife, Megan Rapinoe, threatened to sue Dwayne Johnson and the spring football league, claiming their branding was similar to the “TOGETHXR” media brand of which Bird is a co-founder. That lawsuit was filed on Wednesday.
A cease and desist notice has already been sent to the XFL, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
“Our co-founders have worked tremendously hard to build a platform that elevates and centers women across sports and culture. We are a brand where representation, diversity, inclusivity, and equality are the norm, and while we commend the XFL on their move towards being more inclusive, we don’t feel that needs to come at the expense of the Togethxr brand. We continue to look to the XFL for a reasonable resolution.”
Johnson, who has not yet publicly responded to this issue, led an ownership group that purchased the XFL out of bankruptcy court in 2020.
The league is returning in 2023, with a recently announced TV deal with Disney’s ABC and ESPN.
