r/sports • u/Forward-Answer-4407 • 14h ago
Basketball Former Denver Nuggets mascot sues NBA team saying they fired him after he got hip replacement surgery
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/us-sport/nba-nuggets-mascot-lawsuit-wrongful-termination-b2807749.html128
u/AdditionalMess6546 13h ago
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u/BigAssSlushy69 13h ago
No idea the context here but damn idk if this is the best work environment lol
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u/inertiatic_espn 12h ago
"Yeeeaahh everybody up on your feet!"
Rocky collapses to the ground
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u/Badassmamajama 3h ago
But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot And Rocky collapsed in the corner, aaah
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u/proboscisjoe 10h ago
Yo this is my first time seeing this shit. OMG. The announcer has no clue what just happened. 🤣🤣🤣
The best part is how you can hear that the crowd is silent. Everybody must have been like “wtf…”
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u/Sumoshrooms Carolina Hurricanes 10h ago
This happened to the Carolina hurricanes mascot as he was supposed to jump out of a Zamboni on kids night but had passed out due to fumes/heat
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u/queso_dog Baltimore Orioles 7h ago
Damn, just realized you never see “raw” as a video description anymore lol
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u/mindless900 8h ago
The GOAT mascot fail is Toronto Raptors Raptor on rollerblades: https://youtu.be/54fYClqaX2s
Also look up it eating a cheerleader... Toronto was unhinged in the early 2000's.
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u/ClosetLadyGhost 13h ago
I mean it kinda makes sense
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u/Convergentshave 13h ago
Yea I hate to say it but his dad, the original Rocky was known for the most insane stunts and was paid… appropriately. It sucks his son had some bad luck when he took over but… it’s hard to argue with the standard that had been set…
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u/supercoolpartydude 13h ago
Does he have a case at all? Reading the article, he was a nepotism/legacy hire. They kept the job open for him for two years during his surgeries. Waited until he was healthy and had tryouts, for presumably the first time in 30+ years between him and his father, and he lost the job fully healthy. He apparently even helped coach his replacement, so they maybe left that option available for him.
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u/Simple-Pea8805 13h ago
He tried out in 2021. They held tryouts while he was on sick leave for a year (not two years). When he was healthy and produced doctor’s notice he was capable of performing the job, they treated him with hostility and fired him 3 months later, after he had performed.
It had nothing to do with his performance.
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u/mickelboy182 5h ago
It had nothing to do with his performance.
Except Nuggets fans will assure you, this guy sucked compared to his father.
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u/finnjakefionnacake 13h ago
Man. They tell you to put your body on the line and then drop you when you need them the most 😭
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u/TheFeenyCall Oregon State 12h ago
Sounds like the NFL (and basically any pro sport). Take some CTE and have your body explode. Get paid for like 3 years and then enjoy withering away from health problems the rest of your life until you can't take it and end the suffering.
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u/backcountry_bandit 12h ago
Don’t they get paid in some way or another for life?
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u/sir_ornery 11h ago
NFL players are eligible for pension payments if they played at least 3 credited seasons. The average career length is 3.3 seasons.
Based on that language it would be safe to assume that something close to half, maybe around 40% of all NFL players, do not qualify for the pension.
The pension kicks in at 55.
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u/possyishero 9h ago
With those numbers, someone who barely qualifies then has 30-ish years to wait for that pension, living off that one Rookie-scale contract while possibly suffering from things that make it a struggle to walk properly or have CTE (which you may have gotten from prior to the NFL where many did not get paid for) until then.
IIRC the goal for every player in the NFL & NBA is to make it to their second contract.
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u/HermitDefenestration 9h ago
Running backs, wide recievers, and tight ends, the positions most often exposed to blunt force trauma to the head, all have average career lengths of under 3 years, meaning more of them aren't eligible for the pension. RBs, in particular, have an average career length of only 2.57 years!
In case anyone was wondering, kickers and punters lead the pack: their average career spans 4.87 years. Just behind them are quarterbacks with a mean longevity of 4.44 years. No other position comes close to those two.
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u/TheFeenyCall Oregon State 11h ago
I think it's 3 full seasons on a roster and then something about pension starting at age 55. I don't know the specifics. By that time who knows how a dude is doing health wise (mentally and physically).
I'm not defending or hating on the model. Just seems wild how many players have serious brain injuries (probably already damaged before making the NFL, tbh)
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u/rawonionbreath 8h ago
This has been the business model of pro wrestling since the beginning of time.
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u/Cantmakeaspell 10h ago
It’s actually because he’s a Nepo-baby mistake. An excuse to get rid of him because he isn’t good enough at the job he took over from his father.
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u/__Ember 13h ago edited 13h ago
I really feel for the guy, especially with his father being the previous mascot, but can’t blame the organization on this one.
They were transparent with it being an open tryout from the start, and he’s higher risk as a liability with having a hip replacement surgery.
That being said, I really hope he finds peace.
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u/fadingthought Oklahoma 11h ago
You can blame the organization because Colorado has a law specially to prohibit this.
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u/Waterfish3333 10h ago
I’d love for you to cite the statute because I can’t imagine a law against this.
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u/fadingthought Oklahoma 10h ago
It's literally in the article.
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u/Waterfish3333 10h ago
So I’m bored and actually read the statute (not just citing the law as the article did) and I’m interested in how this plays out, but my guess is he’ll lose.
The statue in question most likely (based on a relatively quick Google search) is 24-34-601 2.5, and part of the text reads “…requested reasonable accommodations on the basis of a person’s disability.”
In this case, based on the requirements of the job, someone with a hip replacement is more likely to be injured during the normal course of duties at the job, and thus there isn’t a reasonable accommodation. This is similar to a trucking company being allowed to not drive with epilepsy, or a moving company being allowed to not hire someone with physical impairments for a job requiring lots of item movement (assuming a suitable, legally reasonable alternative doesn’t exist).
Basically the ADA and similar state laws allow for and require businesses to make reasonable accommodations for individuals so they are not constantly selected against, but there’s always carveouts since the requirements of some jobs simply don’t allow for accommodations of certain disabilities, or accommodations would prevent a significant safety hazard.
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u/fadingthought Oklahoma 9h ago
It has nothing to do with the reasonable accommodation part of the statue, as he was able to complete the job without any reasonable accommodation.
By all accounts, including his employer, he was physically able to complete the job. Your example of someone with epilepsy not being hired by a trucking company doesn’t work because that person is likely prohibited from obtaining a license by federal regulation.
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u/mickelboy182 4h ago
Spoken like someone with minimal (if not zero) actual experience with the US legal system when it comes to the workplace. They will argue he was let go for poor performance, and overcoming that is virtually impossible.
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u/fadingthought Oklahoma 4h ago
I’ll bet you $100 to a charity if you choice vs $100 to OU Children’s hospital that he gets paid from the team.
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u/mickelboy182 4h ago
I would never take that bet, because these things almost always end in a settlement. I am a lawyer.
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u/__Ember 10h ago
The NBA team’s parent company later claimed he was let go because he did not score first in the tryouts.
He doesn’t have a chance since the firing was “performance-based.” Trust me, I’m rooting for him but unless the given reason was related to his disability, he doesn’t have ground. At this point, I think he’s hoping for a settlement.
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u/Scoob8877 13h ago
Joker would get fired after a hip replacement, too.
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u/IdRatherBeLurkingToo 10h ago
No he wouldn't have, because he has a union-backed guaranteed contract.
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u/TheFeenyCall Oregon State 12h ago
That's his wish. Then he can go hangout with his horses and enjoy his wealth
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u/Top_Argument8442 12h ago
I mean, if he can’t do his job, that’s a perfectly valid reason to fire someone.
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u/MrMCCO 10h ago
Real reason is the 625K he’s making:
https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2023/05/30/denver-nuggets-rocky-tops-list-highest-paid-nba-mascots
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u/kihraxz_king 12h ago
Dude - without reading the article, and as a person who needs both knees replaced eventually - how do you think you can meet the requirements of the job on a replaced hip?
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13h ago
[deleted]
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u/Simple-Pea8805 13h ago
Please read the article before making assumptions.
The mascot performed the duties of the job after a necessary surgery break. They held open try outs, “regardless of outcome.” He returned with a doctor’s notice that stated he was able to perform. He was treated with hostility and pushed out to be replaced with someone else. Performance wasn’t the issue.
He’s not suing for termination. He’s suing for discrimination, as they responded to him having a necessary surgery with a hostile work environment. At will states still have labor laws.
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u/Daratirek 13h ago
I doubt he has a case unless it happened due directly to a practice or performance accident, even then they'd hire someone else and wait until hes healed to let him go. Idk seems like hes just searching for money since its not like another team is gonna pick him up with a replacement hip.
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u/Simple-Pea8805 13h ago
Please read the article.
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u/Daratirek 13h ago
Having now read the article my comment isn't that far off. The team held tryouts and he didn't do the best. He got hired cause his Dad did it. No tryouts even. Im sorry but im not finding a lot this guy has to bitch about other than that he apparently doesn't have other marketable skills and hes scared about finding a job. Which is understandable but not the Nuggets problem.
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u/Simple-Pea8805 13h ago
He was hired after his dad when he was approached to try out. He was fully capable of performing the duties of the job. His employer did not like him coming back and sought to fire him. As a discriminatory act, he has legal standing, since his only issue was having to take medical leave.
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u/Daratirek 13h ago
Which he recovered from, performed at the tryouts, and failed to win his job back. Now if he has some evidence beyond he thinks they were hostile then hes got a different story. This is a one sided article and should be looked at with some skepticism.
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u/Daratirek 13h ago
No. This is Reddit and im gonna make assumptions based on nothing but the headline because i must continue doom scrolling
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u/nofame_nogain 13h ago
Wait…. Are you trying to tell me that all billionaires are pieces of shit who will gladly piss on you when they’re done making you dance like a monkey?…. Nah…
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u/yourmomupvotes 13h ago
I'm assuming Kroenke didn't have anything to do with this decision. I'm sure he has much more important things to worry about than who's wearing the mascot outfit.
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u/nofame_nogain 13h ago
How you hand the small things, is how you handle everything.
A fuckwad is a fuckwad. 🤷
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u/sparkchoice 12h ago
I don’t know how fuckwad he is but the owner sets the culture: we take care of people or we draw lines on who.
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u/LopsidedKick9149 New York Yankees 13h ago
Uhhh, how can he sue for that? Pitchers about to start suing for being cut when their arm falls off.
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u/BigAssSlushy69 13h ago
Yeah! Won't someone think of the extremely wealthy employer!?
This guy is just another working Joe like the rest of us and they fired him because he needed to get hip surgery. This is wrong and a bad thing. If you got hurt at your job and needed surgery do you think it'd be cool if your job just fired you because of that? We need to start standing up for each other because it's just a race to the bottom if we let other people continuously get screwed like this.
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u/Simple-Pea8805 13h ago
Please read the article before making assumptions.
The mascot performed the duties of the job after a necessary surgery break. They held open try outs, “regardless of outcome.” He returned with a doctor’s notice that stated he was able to perform. He was treated with hostility and pushed out to be replaced with someone else. Performance wasn’t the issue.
He’s not suing for termination. He’s suing for discrimination, as they responded to him having a necessary surgery with a hostile work environment. At will states still have labor laws.
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u/NovarisLight 12h ago
I've had a hip replacement and have had zero issues. Surgery in the afternoon, walking by about the same time the next day with no pain, no movement restrictions.
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u/scotch-o 10h ago
Hi there! What you’ve shared with us is an anecdotal experience. What you’ve experienced is relative to you.
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u/Yaakovsidney 13h ago
Oh man the Rocky Curse is imminent