The Washington Commanders will unveil their new mascot during New Year's Day's home game against the Cleveland Browns, and it could lead to a lawsuit between the team and five former players.

The choices for the new mascot are between a dog and a hog; the latter was trademarked in July by O-Line Entertainment, which was formed by Joe Jacoby, Mark May, John Riggins, Fred Dean and Doc Walker, according to Front Office Sports.

“If they go forward on Sunday and make the hog their mascot and try to trademark it, we are going to be forced into trademark infringement litigation,” O-Line Entertainment attorney Seth Berenzweig said to Front Office Sports on Tuesday.

It's quite a story out of Washington, who are battling for their playoff lives with two games left in the regular season. The team has not challenged O-Line's trademark, and the Commanders “have no plans to use the Hogs for financial gain,” per FOS.

Berenzweig threatened legal action in a news release on Monday: “We've made it very clear to them that we believe they'd be infringing on the trademark, and they need to arrange a licensing deal with the players,” he said. “They have refused to do that.”

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It will be the Hogs' 40th anniversary during Sunday's game, but the celebration could have an asterisk if the Commanders do decide to unveil a hog as their new mascot.

O-Line Entertainment filed for two trademarks last summer: Hogs and Original Hogs, and they are expecting an initial response from the US Patent and Trademark Office in the next several weeks.

“We are planning a celebration of the greatest offensive line ever to play the game,” the Washington Commanders said in a statement of their own. “The Hogs are a key part of our franchise’s history and we want to keep their legacy alive with the next generation of fans. We have been working with the Hogs on this event for six months and look forward to welcoming them and Coach Gibbs back.”

It will be intriguing to see what mascot will be unveiled on Sunday, and even more interesting to watch the aftermath if the team does indeed choose a hog for their next team figure.