Penn State Mascot Cited For Drinking, Suspended
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ― The man behind the mascot at Penn State is in trouble with the law.
Police in State College, Pa., issued an underage drinking summons to Clint Gyory on Aug. 24. He was also cited for public drunkenness and criminal mischief on August 1.
Gyory was supposed to don the Nittany Lion costume for Saturday's opener against Youngstown State. But athletic department officials said he's been suspended for a month.
Penn State cheerleading coach Curtis White said in a statement this week that Gyory regretted his actions.
"We are certainly disappointed in the news of this incident, perhaps no one more so than Clint himself," White said. "He understands that his poor judgment does not come without impact on the athletic department and the University, and he is most regretful of that. He will not be in uniform throughout the month of September."
An athletic department spokesman says someone else will wear the mascot costume this month and appear at all football games and other scheduled events.
Another student who played the mascot was suspended for the 2009 Rose Bowl against Southern California after a DUI charge.
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