MLBPA sues Pirates for advertising deal with Sheetz in yet another bad look

When the Pittsburgh Pirates announced Sheetz as their jersey sponsor on June 21, plenty of people took offense.

All kind of critics chimed in immediately to bemoan the team selling out by adding an eyesore of a logo patch to their jerseys. About two months later, the MLB Players Association chimed in with a criticism of their own ... and a lawsuit alleging unlicensed use of players’ names and images on social media.

Per a report from the Associated Press, the MLBPA filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh claiming "violation of Pennsylvania law regarding the unauthorized use of name and likenesses, common law misappropriation of identity and unjust enrichment."

The suit alleges that posts by the Pirates and Sheetz promoting the partnership on Instagram, X and Facebook improperly used the images of Paul Skenes, Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Nick Gonzales, Carmen Mlodzinski and Connor Joe. The MLBPA claims that the Pirates were told before and after the social media posts were published that using the image and likeness of three or more players without a group license would be a violation of players' rights.

The suit alleges that at least 20 social media posts promoting the Pirates' partnership with Sheetz have "unjustly enriched the defendants" and "are continuing to cause irreparable harm" to the players and the MLBPA. As a result, the Association has asked for an injunction against both the team and Sheetz requiring them to cease and desist, as well as compensatory and punitive damages.

Pirates say settlement is in the works with MLBPA to settle lawsuit over promotion of Sheetz partnership

The day after the lawsuit had been filed, the Pirates announced that a verbal agreement had been reached to settle the suit. Pirates senior vice president of communications and broadcasting Brian Warecki said in a statement that the club expected the MLBPA's complaint to be withdrawn.

No further updates have been provided since Warecki's statement, and the terms of the reported verbal agreement have not been revealed. Regardless, it's not a good look for the Pirates, who seem to be striking out in more ways than one these days.

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