September 22, 2010

Ohio Mascot Tackles Brutus Buckeye: Ohio University's mascot Rufus Bobcat attacked Brutus Buckeye on the field before their football game Saturday, resulting in his portrayer's ban from athletic activities at the school. Brandon Hanning, 21, was unapologetic. "It was the whole reason I tried out [to be Rufus] last year," he said. "I knew we were going back to OSU this year, and I wanted to tackle Brutus." Video #1 and #2

posted by rcade to football at 07:59 AM - 15 comments

I know it was wrong, and I know it was dangerous ... but that was awesome three ways to Sunday (or Saturday in this case, I suppose).

Makes the beating the Bobcats took almost worth it -- well, that, and the huge cheque I bet they got.

posted by wfrazerjr at 08:14 AM on September 22, 2010

What an idiot the bobcat is. That was actually akward to watch because you kept thinking is this asshole just playing around or is he really pissed.

posted by sgtcookzane at 08:30 AM on September 22, 2010

Sleeper cells are everywhere, with agents sometimes operating solo, lurking in disguise, patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike...

Too bad for this guy. If he had refrained from the attack, he could have graduated to another mascot role - the guys in the really big suits who get to gobble up cheerleaders (which is now all the rage).

I don't care how hot it gets inside one of those outfits. That's my idea of a recreational job description. Sure, you could accidentally get kicked in the face during the gobble, but that's a risk I'd be willing to take.

posted by beaverboard at 08:42 AM on September 22, 2010

Hanning is a moron. He's lucky he didn't hurt the other guy. If he did, he'd be facing premeditated assault charges.

posted by BikeNut at 11:00 AM on September 22, 2010

I thought about putting together my own MasterCard commercial, closing with : When the mascot of your alma mater assaults the mascot of your favorite team ... priceless.

Yeah, so this is getting a lot pf play back here. Most of the folks I've talked to in my situation (OU grad but grew up in central Ohio and loving OSU), it's pretty consistently ... ok, that's hilarious but only because of how big a tool Hanning is and it's just bizarre that someone would go to those lengths, but thanks a lot for black eye on our school. At least it seems like most of the folks are taking this in stride. Another interesting twist is that it sounds like Hanning isn't even a current OU student but is affiliated with a nearby technical school.

posted by littleLebowski at 11:17 AM on September 22, 2010

well, that, and the huge cheque I bet they got

oh, and yeah, $850k goes a ways for a program like OU's

posted by littleLebowski at 11:19 AM on September 22, 2010

All those Buckeyes on the field and nobody had the mascot's back?

posted by kokaku at 11:41 AM on September 22, 2010

What the hell kind of stupid mascot is a buckeye anyway? Stupid. "Hey you! Your mascot looks like an inedible NUT!" It's even dumber than that tree.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 11:51 AM on September 22, 2010

I love this. He lost his head (literally) with the missed first tackle, but he made the most of his second chance.

posted by rcade at 12:52 PM on September 22, 2010

What the hell kind of stupid mascot is a buckeye anyway? Stupid.

Woulda been much better to name the team the Tigers

posted by tahoemoj at 12:55 PM on September 22, 2010

I'd love to hear the security feed while that went down.

"Uh, we've got a... ah... 241? Uh, we've got an assault with intent to pep? Right."

posted by cl at 01:41 PM on September 22, 2010

I don't know how Ohio University does it, but many schools award a scholarship to the student who portrays the mascot. OU took the mascot job away from this particular student, so if he had a scholarship for holding the job, he's lost it now. This is not too bright, and if he exhibits the same thinking and planning skills in his academic work, he may not be too long for the university.

posted by Howard_T at 02:22 PM on September 22, 2010

I'd be more impressed if Brutus didn't shed him like Beanie Wells shed Michigan's tackles for a few years.

I do believe he should be assessed a personal foul for unnecessary roughness, late hit in the end zone.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:05 PM on September 22, 2010

All that time in the Bobcat costume and it didn't dawn on Hanning that there was an actual dude in the Brutus costume who wasn't, you know, the character.

posted by Joey Michaels at 10:22 PM on September 22, 2010

Update: Jim Tressel has listed Brutus as "probable" for Saturday's game with Eastern Michigan. If he can't go, perhaps they'll coax this guy out of retirement.

posted by bender at 12:13 PM on September 23, 2010

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