There is only one player in MLB history to have batted .300 or above with over 20 home runs, 100 runs, 100 walks, and 100 RBIs in seven consecutive seasons with the Chicago White Sox. He is a baseball legend and a Hall of Famer. With a prolific 19-year-long MLB career, baseball’s legendary first baseman has put his own former team under the fire of a lawsuit.

Nicknamed The Big Hurt, Frank Thomas has decided to sue the Chicago White Sox, Nike, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and other retailers for unauthorized use of intellectual property. According to Law.com, the complaint was filed on March 19 at the Illinois Circuit Court in Cook County. Thomas has filed the case under the counsel of Corboy & Demetrio.

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Nike, Fanatics, the Chicago White Sox, the Chicago Bulls, and major retailers were hit with a right-of-publicity lawsuit on March 19 in Illinois Circuit Court for Cook County over the alleged unauthorized use of Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas’s name,” read the case summary.

Thomas has alleged that the defendants were using his name and jersey number 35 in City Connect 2.0 jerseys without permission or compensation. These jerseys have been allegedly on sale since April last year. That is a violation of the Illinois Right of Publicity Act. Alongside Nike and the White Sox, Fanatics and Fanatics Apparel were also involved in the jersey sale.

The lawsuit also alleges the involvement of multiple other retailers, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s, Macys, Nordstrom, Inc, Academy, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Chicago Bulls Limited Partnership, Collegiate Licensing Company, Licensing Partners International, Fanatics Apparel, Fanatics Retail Group, Lids Holdings, Lids Sports Group, Mitchell & Ness, MLB Shop Fan Services, New Era Cap, Pacsun, Rally House Stores.

Launched in 2025, the City Connect 2.0 jerseys are the second-generation collaboration between MLB and Nike. These jerseys were launched to revive the highly successful City Connect Series.

The jerseys are designed to celebrate the city pride and the cultural heritage of each team’s city. The Chicago White Sox and the NBA’s Bulls came together to create a blend between the two. Thomas’ name and jersey number were used in this series of jerseys.

Thomas began his MLB career with the White Sox in 1990 and stayed with them till 2005. From the White Sox, he moved on to the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays. However, Thomas formally announced his retirement as a White Sox player after he signed a one-day contract with them in 2010.

The disputed jerseys have 35 on the front, and the back has “THOMAS” with the number 35 written on it. The complaint states that the jerseys were sold through various channels, including digital and online platforms. The former two-time MVP seeks damages worth $50,000 alongside attorney fees and punitive damages.

Frank Thomas is not a stranger when it comes to suing retailers and companies. In 2014, he had sued Reebok International in the Federal Court. At the time, Thomas had alleged that they re-released his signature “Big Hurt” shoes without seeking prior permission. It was a case of trademark infringement and violation of publicity rights, as Thomas had trademarked his “Big Hurt” identity.  Following the lawsuit, Reebok stopped selling those shoes.

The year Thomas sued Reebok was the same year he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Frank Thomas’ induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame

Frank Thomas, one of the greatest offensive players in baseball history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 8, 2014. He was inducted as a Hall of Famer in his first year of eligibility.

483 out of 571 ballots were cast in favor of Thomas by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, earning him 83.7 percent of the total vote. His induction ceremonies were held on July 27, 2014.

“Today, I would like to thank the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the baseball writers for selecting me as a first-ballot selection in this 2014 Hall of Fame class. I’m so humbled and honored to be a part of this historic class of first-ballot Hall of Famers. To share the stage in front of all of the legendary men who made the game better for us all, I’m speechless,” stated Thomas in his speech.

Thomas started his journey as an athlete, playing both baseball and football in high school. In 1986, when he first became eligible for the MLB draft, Thomas went undrafted. Following this, he enrolled in Auburn University, intending to become a football player.

In 1987 at Auburn University, Thomas also played baseball, batting with an average of .359. He represented the United States team in the Pan-Am Games in the summer of 1987. In the same year, after he got injured playing football, he turned his focus solely to baseball.

During his induction speech, Thomas thanked his university coaches, Pat Dye, Jay Jacobs, Hal Baird, for their guidance. He also expressed his gratitude to them for letting him play both sports simultaneously.

“Under your guidance at Auburn University, I became a man. You guys pushed me to new heights, and instilled toughness and a will to win that I really never knew existed. Coach Baird, thanks for treating me like a pro before my time. I thank you my friend. I know you couldn’t make it here today, but I thank you. Coach Dye, at the same, I know you couldn’t make it either, but I really thank you for letting me play both sports. The decision changed my life. I thank you for letting me follow my dreams. Your passion for what is right led me to my career path in baseball. I thank you Coach Dye, and War Damn Eagle,” he added.

The back-to-back MVP (1993, 1994) hit a career average of .301 with 521 homers, 1494 runs, 1704 RBI, and .974 OPS.