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Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis is being dubbed the ‘Tiger King’ after knocking off the LSU and Clemson Tigers this season, and reality TV star Joe Exotic, a convicted felon, wants a lawyer to step in to help him pursue legal action to undertake.
The 60-year-old, born Joseph Maldonado, took to social media to express his displeasure at Travis for using the new nickname to create T-shirts depicting him sitting on a throne wearing a crown while two tigers sit at his feet in Clemson orange and LSU yellow. Maldonado says the name “Tiger King” is his trademark.
The T-shirts sell for $31.24 each, which pays tribute to the final score of Florida State’s victory over Clemson last Saturday.
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Joe Schreibvogel talks about a court case at the GW Exotic Animal Park, February 28, 2013 in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. (Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman via the USA TODAY Network)
“Jordan Travis was six years old when I became The Tiger King. It is my trademark, my intellectual property and I am tired of others cashing in on my trademark just because President Biden doesn’t care that I am wrongly imprisoned in America,” Maldonado wrote on was known as Twitter.
“I will give ANY LAWYER 80% of a settlement to sue Jordan Travis and ALL companies that sell stuff using Tiger King. Time quarterbacks and everyone in this country stop stealing from others, what lawyer would take this multi-million case Want to accept dollars? DM me!”
Maldonado went one step further by addressing both the Biden and Trump administrations in his X-rant.
“President Trump, do you see what your swamp has done to my life with the corrupt DOJ you led? The evidence is that they all admit to perjury and plot to kill me, and they’re all walking free. Biden needs to fix this and gain support and FREE JOE EXOTIC,” he wrote.
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Maldonado finished with another shot at Travis.
“Until Jordan Travis walks into a cage with 20 adult tigers and kisses them on the head, leave the Tiger King business to me,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Maldonado has gotten angry at sports figures, as he has denounced Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on social media. Burrow was dubbed the “Tiger King” because of his success with the Bengals, and Maldonado took issue with that in a letter he wrote to Burrow this month.
Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis reacts after scoring against the Clemson Tigers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. (Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports)
“I see the news, magazines and yourself calling you the Tiger King,” Maldonado said in the letter he posted to X. “Everyone in the world is exploiting me and my trademarks while I sit innocently in a US federal prison. I’ve been the Tiger King since before you got out of high school. Tiger King is my trademark and my intellectual property.”
“My life has been destroyed, my parents have died and I continue to battle cancer and two incurable diseases while you all distract from the fame and attention from the hard work of my life.”
Maldonado was sentenced in 2019 to 22 years in prison on federal charges of animal cruelty and two counts of attempted murder for hire. Burrow said he didn’t like the nickname “Tiger King” because of how it was associated with what Maldonado was. found with animals.
Maldonado even asked Burrow to help him find a lawyer to get him out of jail, although Burrow never responded to the request.
Convicted felon and media personality Joe Exotic objected when Jordan Travis was referred to as the “Tiger King.” (Getty images/file)
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As for Travis, he hasn’t responded yet either. He is focusing on the Seminoles’ next game as they take on Virginia Tech at home on October 7.
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
