ATLANTA -- The NFL is trying to stop the spread of Ron Mexico.
Since that name was listed as an alias for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in a lawsuit filed last month, a number of people have gone to the NFL's online store to order Vick's No. 7 replica jersey with a personalized "MEXICO" on the back.
Now, fans trying to order the customized jersey get this message: "The personalization entered cannot be accepted."
The alias was printed in court documents in a civil lawsuit filed March 14 that alleges Vick, infected the woman with herpes. Vick has said he will fight the charges.
Among the parties listed in the lawsuit is "Ron Mexico," which the plaintiff's attorneys claim Vick has used as a pseudonym. Vick's attorney, Lawrence Woodward, did not immediately return repeated calls to his office this week.
The Falcons haven't commented on the case.
NFLShop.com, meanwhile, has added the pseudonym to its list of banned names, along with obscenities and others deemed improper.
"We did instruct our NFL Shop to not sell those jerseys," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "The jerseys are intended for fans who want to have their name on a jersey. Obviously, this was in direct reference to recent events. We decided it's inappropriate to sell jerseys with that particular name on it."
NFLShop.com employees and supervisors were notified in an internal memo Monday that they were no longer allowed to sell Falcons jerseys with the Mexico name, customer service representatives said when asked about it.
The NFL would not provide a copy of the memo. McCarthy said "only a handful" of orders for the Mexico jerseys had been placed, and none were sold. Anyone who placed an order for the jersey will receive an e-mail letting them know the order has been canceled and their money will be refunded.
A few "Ron Mexico" T-shirts have popped up on eBay, though none of the NFL's licensed replica jerseys have been sold or posted for sale on the Internet auction site.
"If somebody bought a jersey during the time the NFL Shop was selling them, it's their item to buy or sell if they got it legitimately," eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said. "We would not pull the listing if it did not violate any other policies."
News of the made-up moniker has circulated on sports talk shows and websites.
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