Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers Mascot, Is Accused of Punching a Boy in the Back

Gritty, the furry Philadelphia Flyers mascot who took the sports world by storm last year, has always played by his own rules. The 7-foot-tall, googly-eyed creature with “bully” tendencies has become famous for tackling the on-ice entertainment during intermission and fighting opposing teams on Twitter.

Now, one family says Gritty took his act too far.

The mascot is under investigation by the Philadelphia police after a family accused him of punching a 13-year-old boy in the back during a fan event in November, the police said on Wednesday. “The investigation is active and ongoing,” the department said in a statement.

The costumed character, bright orange with a wild beard and a hockey helmet, was posing for photos with season-ticketholders at the event at the team’s arena, the Wells Fargo Center. The family of Brandon Greenwell, 13, said Brandon patted the mascot on the head after his picture was taken, and Gritty responded by standing up and punching the boy in the back with a running start.

Chris Greenwell, Brandon’s father, said a chiropractor found a week later that Brandon had a back bruise. Chris Greenwell contacted Comcast Spectacor, the company that owns the Flyers, to resolve the issue, but filed the police report Dec. 21 because he wasn’t satisfied with the results.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/22/sports/hockey/gritty-punch.html?emc=rss&partner=rss