The Western Athletic Conference suspended New Mexico State’s mascot, Pistol Pete, for one game after a clash with Utah State’s Big Blue mascot in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament. Pistol Pete will serve the suspension during the 2009-10 season opener in November. CBS Sports offers a full description of the antics that led to the one-game suspension.
The incident occurred near the end of a semifinal matchup between New Mexico State and Utah State on March 13.
The bull confronted Pistol Pete and ripped off his fake mustache after a fan wearing a Nevada shirt offered $100 to the student in the costume, modeled after Paul Bunyan’s Blue Ox, if he would do so.
The cowboy then chased the bull to half court, jumped on his back and tried unsuccessfully to pull him to the floor. He then started to try to choke his rival before retreating to his end of the court.
Big Blue was suspended for the championship game the following day.
The incident is laughable and befitting a bad Capitol One commercial. However, in terms of sportsmanship, the mascot fiasco is an unnecessary distraction for two of the WAC’s most consistent programs. Equally important, the fan who put a bounty on Pistol Pete’s mustache should have received punishment commensurate to the one-game suspensions doled out to the mascots.
