Gritty cleared of assaulting a 13-year-old boy

Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers' shaggy, orange mascot with an unsettlingly wide-eyed gaze, has been cleared of the alleged November assault of a 13-year-old boy, ESPN reports.

"[The] investigation, which has been completed and is no longer active, determined that the actions of the individual portraying the Flyers' mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged," the Philadelphia Police Department said in a statement. In a statement of their own, the Flyers said the department's findings "[confirm] our thorough internal investigation that found no evidence of the described actions ever having taken place."

The alleged incident was said to have occurred at a meet-and-greet at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, where the son of Flyers season ticket holder Chris Greenwell told his father that Gritty "took a running start" and punched him "as hard as he could," The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. But there was no evidence or video to support the claim, and Gritty — whose real identity has not been revealed — is, perhaps terrifyingly, once again free to threaten opposing mascots, pummel referees, and throw sheet cakes at New York Rangers fans.

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Jacob Lambert is the art director of TheWeek.com. He was previously an editor at MAD magazine, and has written and illustrated for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Weekly, and The Millions.