Phoenix Suns Gorilla beat up by Miami Heat fan
The Phoenix Suns lost to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, ending their hopes at a 2011-12 NBA Playoff run. As if the heartbreaking ending to the season wasn’t enough, the Suns Gorilla mascot had an even worse day, allegedly being punched in the face by a Miami Heat fan at a Dave and Busters event Tuesday night.
More from azcentral.com:
It started just before 6:30 p.m., police said. The Suns Gorilla at the event, Robert Woolf, who is not the same Suns Gorilla who performs at games, was at Dave & Buster’s with other Suns employees, police said. Woolf attempted to high-five Timothy Austin, who refused to participate because he is a Miami Heat fan, police said.
The gorilla, acting in a way he described as “playful,” kicked Austin. Austin then threw the punch, and police were called, officials said.
“After explaining that both subjects could be charged with assault and arrested, they both agreed not to press charges,” according to the police report.
The mascot beat down brings back memories of Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Randall Simon taking out a sausage in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Nobody pressed charges, but the Suns Gorilla will definitely think twice next time he looks to high-five a fan. However, not such a classy move by the Heat (bandwagon) fan in Phoenix. The normal way to respond to a “playful” kick from a mascot is to punch him in the face, right? Anybody? Guess you’re all alone, Timothy Austin. Way to continue to reinforce the upstanding reputation of Miami Heat fans.
Miami is locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and will square off against the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
