The writer-director of the television show “Friday Night Lights,” Peter Berg, demanded on Friday that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stop using a line from his show in campaign appearances and accused the candidate of plagiarism.
In a letter obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Berg insisted that Romney, who is a fan of the show, stop using the phrase “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” during the campaign.
“I created the TV show ‘Friday Night Lights’ and came up with the phrase ‘Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose,’” Berg wrote. “I was not thrilled when I saw that you have plagiarized this expression to support your campaign by using it on posters, your Facebook page and as part of your stump speeches. Your politics and campaign are clearly not aligned with the themes we portray in our series.”
Berg further took a political jab at Romney by comparing him to one of the show’s characters.
“The only relevant comparison that I see between your campaign and Friday Night Lights is in the character of Buddy Garrity — who turned his back on American car manufacturers selling imported cars from Japan,” Berg added.
“We are grateful for your support of our beloved show, but we are not in any way affiliated with you or your campaign,” Berg wrote in the email. “Please come up with your own slogan.”
Buzz Bissenger, the author of the original nonfiction book “Friday Night Lights,” the inspiration for the show, endorsed Romney earlier this week.
The Romney campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.