Alabama A&M has issued a cease and desist letter to the Alabama Sports Council for unauthorized usage of university trademarks in promotion of the Magic City Classic, per a report by local Birmingham news affiliate WBRC. The letter to the ASC, who oversee the Magic City Classic, demanded the usage of university trademarked images such as the Bulldog mascot as well as images of football players to sell sponsorships. WBRC reports that the letter caught Eventive Sports off-guard. Eventive Sports works closely with the Alabama Sports Council to produce the popular HBCU classic.

“We are definitely trying to overcome whatever confusion that is out there so that way we can have a resolution and be able to put on a great event on October 28 that everybody knows, loves and is used to,” Vice President for Eventive Sports, Collegiate and Amateur Sports Division Perren King said in a statement obtained by WBRC.

Alabama State and Alabama A&M face off in the Magic City Classic, reported to be the most attended HBCU football classic in America. The classic continues the storied in-state rivalry between the Hornets and Bulldogs, which dates back to 1924.  In April, a mutual agreement was reached between the two schools to extend their presence at Legion Field for an additional four years.

According to reports, the city has committed to providing the schools with an annual payment of half a million dollars. The cease-and-desist letter exacerbated feelings of uneasiness about the future of the classic. The cease and desist letter also sequesters that the Alabama Sports Council makes available all books and records of revenue generated from the classical and compensation paid for audit.

Randall Woodfin, Birmingham mayor, and Morehouse College alumnus, spoke out about the cease and desist letter in a statement obtained by WRBC, saying, “I reached out to President Wims to express my disappointment in this form of correspondence. Timing is everything and we are five weeks before Classic. This doesn’t fit the tenor of good faith or relationships. To be clear this back and forth hurts the brand of the Classic and what we have built for more than 80 years. Alumni of both institutions want and deserve a Classic we can all be proud of.”
Despite the new revelations, King assures the game will occur as planned on October 28th.
“Absolutely. It’s absolutely a go. The event is something that both schools already have contracted with the city of Birmingham…so again for the next four years, it’s going to be at Legion Field.”
He added, “It’s still business as usual with the other fronts but we want to make sure that we’ve got clarity as to what we received less than 24 hours ago