Denver’s favorite mountain lion is in the doghouse.
Unbeknownst to the Denver Nuggets organization, mascot Rocky was at the Colorado Republican rally Monday and evidently didn’t check with his bosses at Kroenke Sports Enterprises about it.
Nuggets marketing manager Graham Wincott, who handles Rocky and his appearances, said the team’s mascot showing up at the GOP event was “an unsanctioned, unpaid appearance that we had no knowledge of.”
Denver sports figures have been to political events in the past, but sports teams and organizations typically stay away from any kind of political endorsements or appearances, which is why the Kroenke brass was surprised by the appearance.
“As a sports team, we want to be apolitical,” Wincott said. “Two things we never touch on are politics and religion.”
The Nuggets’ mascot was bouncing around at the Colorado Republican Party rally Monday at Heritage High School. Top players on the Colorado GOP ticket were at the event, which included 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Wincott said the KSE management team met Tuesday “with the actor who plays Rocky to figure out exactly how it happened and what transpired and get to the bottom of how all this occurred.”
Wincott said the matter was being handled “internally” but the organization is setting “new protocol for anyone who wears a mascot uniform for a Kroenke sports team.”
Ken Solomon has played Rocky for more than 20 years. As Rocky, he posed for pictures Monday and danced on stage with various GOP volunteers at the event before the political speeches began.
The Colorado GOP tweeted out a photo of Rocky with a group of Boy Scouts before Monday’s rally. The post has since been removed from @cologop Twitter stream.
“I was surprised and pleased to see Rocky before the rally yesterday, and understand he was there at the invitation and as a guest of a long-time supporter of Mitt Romney and Bob Beauprez,” Colorado Republican Party chairman Ryan Call wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. “Although he did not play a role in the formal program, it was terrific to see him interacting with Nuggets fans and putting smiles on the faces of people in the gathering crowd before the rally started.
“I’m sure everyone understands that his appearance in no way implies an endorsement by the Denver Nuggets of any candidate or party. Nuggets fans also understand that even Rocky has First Amendment rights and the Colorado Republican Party stands with him.”
Wincott said the appearance “wasn’t something we were expecting or wanting.”
Denver Post reporter Joey Bunch contributed to this report.
David Krause: 303-954-1893, dkrause@denverpost.com or twitter.com/DavidKrause
