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Confirmed: Nike Color Rush "Leak" is Fake

A blessing for some, a curse for others, the supposed State Flag uniforms for the Ravens have been verified false.

By Chris "Braven" Brown
The Leak has been sealed.
The Leak has been sealed.

It's deja vu all over again.

Some may recall a few years ago when there was a 'leak' of NFL uniform concepts which was supposedly from Nike. As it turned out, the much ballyhooed mock-ups were simply the work of an ambitious artist and not official in the slightest. (No matter, the Ravens jersey was more of an afterthought and not that original, anyway.)

We have just experienced it un otro tiempo.

Twitter account "NFL Leaks" posted a picture which was supposedly from a Nike insider's meeting which had a handout delineating the color swatches for the NFL Color Rush initiative. Immediately this shaky claim went viral, while discussion and debate alike ensued over what colors were best. Or not.

The Maryland flag pattern was the swatch for the Ravens, which was nebulous and unclear from the beginning. Some said that it would be a flag-themed uniform reminiscent of the University of Maryland uniforms, but the problem there is that it belied that monochromatic theme of Color Rush.

Baltimore Ravens.com Writer/Reporter Garret Downing broke the news Monday that the leak indeed was fake with regards to the Ravens, and that they would not be wearing anything resembling the Maryland flag anytime soon.

Downing is not the only NFL team beat reporter that broke such news:

Somers is a beat reporter for the Arizona Republic.

An interesting side note in the Ravens case: The University of Maryland jerseys that popularly featured the Maryland state flag were designed by Under Armour.

Pride. That’s what the #Terps call their flag. Maryland Pride IS their WILL. #ARMOURED #IWILL #GoTerps

A photo posted by Under Armour (@underarmour) on

Under Armour financed the Ravens' practice facility and is a major sponsor of the Ravens.

A Nike-designed Ravens flag jersey would be a slight to the rival athletic apparel company that adorns the Ravens press conference backdrops.

There is yet another angle that UNC Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Donald M. Stanford, Jr. brought up when I asked him about this subject. "The University of Maryland might have a stake in this, because the flag jerseys are now identifiable with them." The Commercial Law expert said that while the flag is no one's intellectual property, "any design has to be unique and peculiar enough to be discernible from another."

So, now that this is settled, what would you like to see as the Ravens Color Rush jersey? Chime in below. And remember, all purple can be done right.

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