Gritty Is Under Investigation for Allegedly Assaulting a 13-Year-Old Fan

Katie Dupere

January 23, 2020 12:06 AM

Police in Philadelphia are reportedly investigating a complaint against the Flyers mascot Gritty for allegedly punching a 13-year-old fan during a Nov. 2019 event. The news was first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, which received confirmation of the complaint from police.

Gritty Is Under Investigation for Alleged Assault

The November event in question was for season-ticket holders, and involved a photo opp with Gritty. Flyers fan Chris Greenwell told the Inquirer that his 13-year-old son playfully patted the much-memed mascot on the head after taking a quick photo. As the boy walked away, Greenwell said Gritty "took a running start and "punched [his] son as hard as he could in the back.

Greenwell reportedly provided documents to the Inquirer from a chiropractor, which said the boy was diagnosed with a contusion to lower thoracic spine with subluxation, or a back bruise with mild pain. The documents have not been made public.

Greenwell said he reached out to the Flyers to report the incident, asking for an apology and asking the team to do something special for his son. Greenwell only decided to press charges after a follow-up phone call with the team reportedly went south. He filed the complaint with police on Dec. 21.

Flyers reps reportedly told Greenwell that there is not footage of the incident, as cameras in the facility were pointed away from Gritty at the time. The Flyers have denied any wrongdoing by their mascot.

"We took Mr. Greenwell's allegations seriously and conducted a thorough investigation that found nothing to support this claim," a team spokesperson said in a statement provided to the Inquirer.

A police spokesperson described the incident with Gritty as an alleged "physical assault, telling the Inquirer the investigation is "active and ongoing. As for Greenwell, hes reportedly dumping his season tickets after 22 years.

Katie Dupere