Sources - NFL told Houston to stop using Oilers-inspired uniform - ESPN

The University of Houston's season-opening throwback uniforms that evoked memories of the old Houston Oilers were wildly popular among players and fans. Not so much with the NFL.

The NFL's merchandising and licensing division sent a cease-and-desist letter to the school demanding it halt any further use of the uniforms, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.

On Sept. 2, the Cougars wore Columbia blue uniforms with a white Houston script across the front outlined in red — similar to the jerseys worn by the Houston Oilers during their «Luv Ya Blue» era. The university was careful to say their uniforms were a tribute to «H-Town Pride» in a nod to the city's fondness for the Oilers, who decamped for Tennessee after the 1996 season.

After the move, the NFL team was dubbed the Tennessee Oilers for two seasons before becoming the Tennessee Titans. The team, however, retained the rights to the Oilers' trademarks.

The Titans wore their own Oilers throwbacks Sunday, which was a source of bitterness for football fans in Houston. The Titans are planning to again wear the throwbacks against the Houston Texans on Dec. 17 in Nashville.

The cease-and-desist letter sent from the NFL to the University of Houston was first reported by the Houston Chronicle, which obtained the letter via an open records request from an attorney for the NFL.

According to the Chronicle, the letter said UH's «blatant copying» of the Oilers' jerseys was grounds for legal action and it demanded that the university discontinue any sales of merchandise and remove any promotional or social media posts that feature the imagery.

The university did not attempt to market the uniforms, which were revealed in a video narrated by Carl Lewis.

«The Houston Cougars' attempt to