Stemming from a story Wednesday in the Philadelphia Inquirer about a physical assault allegation against the Flyers' mascot Gritty, the team released a statement regarding the matter.
In the Inquirer report, Gritty is accused of punching a 13-year-old boy in the back at the Wells Fargo Center during November. According to the report, about a month after the alleged incident, the accusation was taken to the Philadelphia police by Chris Greenwell, the father of the boy, and is currently being investigated.
“The investigation is active and on-going,” police said, per the report.
Here is the team's statement released to NBC Sports Philadelphia:
We took Mr. Greenwell’s allegations seriously and conducted a thorough investigation that found nothing to support this claim.
According to the report, the alleged incident occurred during a photo shoot session including Gritty, Greenwell and his son Brandon.
Here is a part of the Inquirer's story by Christian Hetrick describing the alleged incident and aftermath:
NHL
In Greenwell’s telling, Brandon playfully patted the mascot on the head after the photo was taken. As Brandon walked away, Gritty got out of his chair, 'took a running start,' and 'punched my son as hard as he could,' Greenwell said Wednesday.
Greenwell said he took his son to see a chiropractor about a week after the incident. The chiropractor noted that Brandon suffered from mild pain, and diagnosed him with a back bruise, or a 'contusion to lower thoracic spine with subluxation,' according to documents from the chiropractor, provided by Greenwell.
Gritty was introduced by the Flyers in September 2018 and has become a popular attraction for fans at games.
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