FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's application to trademark the term "Tom Terrific" has been refused by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Brady, who said his goal was to ensure people didn't refer to him by that nickname, created a stir among New York Mets fans because "Tom Terrific" is the nickname of Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver. As it turns out, Brady's application for the trademark was officially refused by the USPTO on Thursday because "the applied-for mark consists of or includes matter which may falsely suggest a connection with Tom Seaver.