The Denver Nuggets mascot, Rocky, has always been in between a rock and a hard place. He’s a mountain lion, quite possibly the furthest thing from a nugget unless there’s some Colorado lingo I’m unaware of. According to a Denver Post report, however, Rock’s in the doghouse for a recent unsanctioned appearance at a Republican event.
Unbeknownst to the Denver Nuggets organization, mascot Rocky was at the Colorado Republican rally Monday and evidently didn’t check with his bosses at Kroenke Sports Enterprises about it.
Nuggets marketing manager Graham Wincott, who handles Rocky and his appearances, said the team’s mascot showing up at the GOP event was “an unsanctioned, unpaid appearance that we had no knowledge of.”
Denver sports figures have been to political events in the past, but sports teams and organizations typically stay away from any kind of political endorsements or appearances, which is why the Kroenke brass was surprised by the appearance.
“As a sports team, we want to be apolitical,” Wincott said. “Two things we never touch on are politics and religion.”
The Nuggets’ mascot was bouncing around at the Colorado Republican Party rally Monday at Heritage High School. Top players on the Colorado GOP ticket were at the event, which included 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney. [Denver Post]
Wincott later said the appearance “wasn’t something we were expecting or wanting.” Whatever the Nuggets decide to do with Rocky, hopefully it doesn’t interfere with whatever shenanigans he has planned with TSS favorite, the incomparable JaVale McGee, this upcoming season.