Inked Mag Staff
October 1st, 2020
Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott Facing Potential Lawsuit Over ‘Feed Me’ Tattoo
Former WWE Superstar Ryback is threatening to file suit against the running back, claiming he has a trademark on the catchphrase.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott may be rethinking how he celebrated his first touchdown of the 2020 season. After scampering into the end zone, Elliott turned towards the cameras and pulled up his jersey to reveal a script tattoo reading “Feed Me” on his stomach. The tattoo became one of the main storylines behind the game and the world took notice, including a former WWE Superstar who found the catchphrase a little too similar to the one rabid wrestling fans used to scream while he was in the ring.
Ryback, neé Ryan Reeves, was known for dominating matches with quick strikes of brutality and, usually while standing over a vanquished opponent, uttering the phrase “Feed Me More!” While it’s been years since he’s been in the ring, Ryback claims to own a trademark on the phrase and is ready to take legal action against Elliott.
“I’ll tie him up for years,” Ryback said in a rant on his YouTube channel. “He ain’t using it. So he better get a good tattoo artist to go have him cover that shitty tattoo up on his stomach.”
Elliott, who is known to be a wrestling fan, has been using the phrase “Feed Me” (as in, feed him the football) since he was at Ohio State, where he inherited it from Carlos Hyde. Despite Elliott using the celebration since at least 2016, the tattoo was the thing that pushed Ryback to the edge of filing suit. “This is exactly my phrase,” Ryback said. “It’s exactly. And it’s the same meaning. And that will cause confusion.”
It remains to be seen whether a court would determine the phrase to be exactly the same, but chances are that they wouldn’t because, you know, it isn’t exactly the same. And, let’s be honest here, the phrase “Feed Me” isn’t groundbreaking or unique. If anything, both Elliott and Ryback stole it from Audrey II in “Little Shop of Horrors.”
It remains to be seen if Ryback’s going to back up his words with legal action. If you ask us, there’s enough food to feed both Ryback and Elliott.
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