Frank Thomas Sues White Sox: Unauthorized Use of Image on Jersey

Frank Thomas Sues the White Sox for Misuse of Image

Hall of Famer Frank Thomas has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago White Sox, the team he played for during 16 of his 19 MLB seasons. The lawsuit centers on the alleged unauthorized use of his image on uniforms. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County, Illinois, also includes Nike and Fanatics as co-defendants. Thomas is seeking compensation exceeding $50,000 and demands a jury trial. Thomas’s complaint concerns the sale of City Connect 2.0 jerseys “around April 28, 2025”, which featured Thomas’s number 35 on the front, his name and number 35 on the back, along with the trademarks, logos, and the team and Nike branding.

The lawsuit alleges violations of the Illinois Right of Publicity Act. Companies cannot profit from anyone’s identity without their permission. We believe our filing speaks for itself.

William T. Gibbs, attorney for Frank Thomas

The White Sox have stated that they do not comment on ongoing litigation. The Major League Baseball Players Association could not be reached for comment, and Nike and Fanatics declined. Currently, a case management hearing has been scheduled for May 21st in a courtroom at the Cook County Circuit Court. This is not the first time Thomas has had differences with his former team. In 2002, when Thomas was not selected for the All-Star team, he did not finish in the top 10 in the MVP voting nor did he win a Silver Slugger, the White Sox and then-general manager Ken Williams invoked a “diminished skills” clause in Thomas’ contract that reduced his base salary to $250,000 and deferred $10.125 million for 10 years without interest. In 2006, the five-time All-Star sued two White Sox doctors, alleging that the misdiagnosis of a foot fracture in 2004 aggravated the injury and led to his release in 2005. The White Sox were not part of the lawsuit, and Thomas and the doctors reached a settlement in 2011. Last month, the White Sox published a timeline of “historical firsts” for Black History Month on X. Thomas, who appeared once on the graphics, by name only, responded:

“I guess the black player who made them rich and has all their records is forgettable! Don’t worry, I’m taking receipts!”

Thomas, the MVP of the American League in 1993 and 1994, is the franchise’s historical leader in offensive WAR, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging, runs scored, doubles, home runs, RBIs, and walks, among other categories.