The googly-eyed mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers has been cleared in an alleged back-and-forth with a young fan, police said Monday.
The 7-foot-tall mascot was accused in November of shoving a 13-year-old boy from behind during a meet-and-greet with Flyers season ticket holders at the Wells Fargo Arena. The boy's father, Chris Greenwell, said the Flyers had invited him and his son to thank them for being season ticket holders. However, Greenwell says the fun evening quickly turned sour.
Greenwell told The Philadelphia Inquirer that after Gritty took a photo with his son, the mascot hopped out of his chair, "took a running state" and punched/shoved the 13-year-old in his back.
"He taps Gritty three times on the head, a light tap," the father claimed in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer. "After that, my son walks away. Gritty was about 8 feet away from my son, got out of the chair and lunged at him and hit him in the back."
However, after an investigation of the incident, Philadelphia police cleared Gritty (and the actor playing him) of all charges.
"That investigation, which has been completed and is no longer active, determined that the actions of the individual portraying the Flyers' mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged," according to a Philadelphia police statement.
The Philadelphia Flyers issued a statement in response to Gritty being cleared.
"We are pleased that the Philadelphia Police Department concluded there was no merit to the alleged claim. The police department's statement confirms our thorough internal investigation that found no evidence of the described actions ever having taken place."