Gritty, the official mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, reportedly punched a 13-year-old in the back. The incident was reported to have taken place during a photo session during an exclusive event.
Before Gritty ever entered the scene, the Philadelphia Flyers had no mascot. In fact, they were only one of two teams in the NHL - the second being the New York Rangers - without one. In 1976, the team experimented with a mascot named Slapshot, according to ESPN, but it didn’t last. Slapshot was similarly Muppet-inspired when it comes to its physical appearance, but it ultimately didn’t have the effect the team was hoping for. It wasn’t until Gritty was officially brought aboard in 2018 that the Flyers finally had a mascot to conjure up some team spirit. Unfortunately, Gritty’s positive reputation has recently come under scrutiny.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the unnamed individual wearing the Gritty costume reportedly punched 13-year-old Brandon Greenwell in the back. The boy’s father, Chris Greenwell, stated that Gritty “took a running start” and punched his son “as hard as he could” in the back after Brandon patted Gritty on the head after having his photo taken with him. However, because there was no video evidence of the incident, Comcast Spectacor officials told Greenwell that they “found nothing to support this claim” after investigating.
Despite being a longtime fan of the Philadelphia Flyers for 22 years, Greenwell is getting rid of his season tickets. He opened up about his dissatisfaction with the way the incident was handled, and even though he acknowledges that his son should have never touched Gritty - no matter how harmless the touch may have been - Gritty’s reaction was “unprofessional and unacceptable.” Greenwell ended up taking his son to see a chiropractor after the incident due to “mild pain,” and then eventually went directly to the police, who opened up a formal investigation.
Incidentally, the official NHL website describes Gritty as a bit of a “bully” - a personality trait he got from his father. It also mentions the fact that he can be “feisty, “a fierce competitor,” and “mischievous.” That said, these qualities tend to only negatively affect anyone rooting against the Philadelphia Flyers. In this case, Gritty’s reported victim was a fan of the Flyers, so, assuming these claims turn out to be legitimate, Gritty’s behavior is especially out of a character.
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Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, ESPN, NHL
