‘Gritty’ Under Investigation For Allegedly Punching 13-Year-Old Boy

Philadelphia Flyers mascot ‘Gritty’ has been an NHL fan favorite and Internet sensation since his introduction in September of 2018. But now the googly-eyed, orange-furred individual is in trouble with the law.

No, seriously.

Gritty has been accused of punching a 13-year-old boy in the back, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The boy’s father, Chris Greenwell, accused Gritty of punching his son “as hard as he could” after the two took a staged photo together, per the Inquirer. Greenwell added that Gritty “took a running start” before striking his son, Brandon, who he said playfully patted the mascot on the head after taking the photo.

“We took Mr. Greenwell’s allegations seriously and conducted a thorough investigation that found nothing to support this claim,” a Flyers spokesperson said in an emailed statement to the Inquirer.

Greenwell reported the incident to Philadelphia police after he and Comcast Spectacor, the company that owns the Flyers, were not able to come to an agreement. It is being investigated by the South Detectives Division, while the police called the investigation “active and on-going.”