AN NBA mascot has filed a lawsuit against the owners of his team.
The suit alleges that the franchise violated disability protection laws.
A man who played Rocky the Mountain Lion has sued the Denver Nuggets[/caption]
The Nuggest are owned by Stan Kroenke and won the NBA championship in 2023[/caption]
The mascot also claimed he worked in a “hostile work environment” before being fired.
Drake Solomon, 31, played Rocky the Mountain Lion for the Denver Nuggets.
He filed a lawsuit in the Denver District Court this week against Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.
The company is worth over $21 billion and owns the Nuggets NBA franchise.
Soloman first began his role as Rocky in 2021, following after his father.
His dad was the original team mascot more than 30 years ago, the Colorado Sun reports.
The 31-year-old was diagnosed with a bone tissue condition during the 2022-23 season.
He needed surgery multiple times with one of those being a hip replacement.
Solomon said that the team then held tryouts after he told his superiors about the operation.
The man who played the mascot claimed that he returned from his hip replacement to a “hostile working environment.”
He was fired in August 2024 after the team held tryouts.
And the lawsuit claimed the firing was a violation of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act.
His attorney also said that Solomon’s termination was like firing a person for going on maternity leave.
Solomon began working for the organization in 2012.
He gave an interview with the Colorado Sun about the lawsuit.
“It was not easy to go ahead with this because I love the Nuggets,” Solomon said.
“They’ve been my whole life and my family. For things to end the way they did, it was pretty heartbreaking.
“We loved Rocky our entire lives. We always looked at the Nuggets as a second family and Rocky as a second dad.
“For it to end so cold … it’s kind of like losing a family member. My dad was pretty devastated when he heard.
“He was the one that suggested I look into seeing what I can do to make some wrongs right.”
The report also says the Denver Nuggets did not respond to request for comment.
