Major League Baseball

Deal reached in Hamilton slogan case

Published Jul. 26, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

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A mediated solution has been reached between Los Angeles Angels slugger Josh Hamilton and a Texas sports apparel company that sued the ballplayer over trademark rights to the slogan ''Play Hard, Pray Harder.''

Dallas-based lawyer Eric Fein says the court has been notified of the agreement and his clients will file to terminate the lawsuit against the former Rangers player in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas sometime next week.

Hamilton confirmed Friday, before his Los Angeles Angels played at Oakland, that a settlement had been reached.

Fein says his clients are glad this is over but, ''they were extremely disappointed that the issue had to be extensively litigated for Hamilton to do the right thing.''

Thirty-year-old twin brothers Josh and Matt Eckel sued Hamilton in December for the use of the slogan ''Play Hard, Pray Harder'' claiming they had trademarked the slogan first for their Christian faith-based startup sports apparel company.

The lawsuit also claimed Hamilton tried to assign the rights to his wife's North Carolina-based company, Scripture Art, and had modeled a T-shirt with the slogan in the front and his name on the back.

Fein says that as part of the settlement Hamilton won't pursue any trademark rights he claimed he had.

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