Saskatchewan Roughriders mascot Gainer is making headlines once again for behaviour some people are calling “inappropriate.”
The B.C. Lions tweeted a video of Gainer roughhousing a stuffed lion during their game against the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday evening.
In the video, Gainer is seen dragging the lion by its tail, tossing and kicking it. Gainer then spreads the stuffed lion’s legs open and grabs it by the pelvic area.
Afterward, some people took to Twitter to express their displeasure.
“We agree that Gainer took it too far during Saturday’s game against B.C. Lions,” the Riders said in a statement. “We’ve talked to Gainer about it and taken away his stuffed lion.”
At their home opener on July 1 against the Toronto Argonauts, the Roughriders revealed Gainer’s new look, which also prompted some backlash.
The beloved mascot appeared to have lost some weight in addition to receiving an eye adjustment.
The Roughriders have since changed Gainer’s eyes back. Gainer has been the team’s mascot since 1977.