Wow this is so Philly...(also seems like a lot of "he said/she said" stuff)
The incident in question goes back to November where a teenager's father (Chris Greenwell) alleges that the googly-eyed orange mascot punched his son (Brandon Greenwell) in the back. It was an event where season ticket holders were invited for an exclusive session with Gritty before the Flyers game.
According to a story written by Christian Hetrick at the Philadelphia Inquirer:
In Greenwell’s telling, Brandon playfully patted the mascot on the head after the photo was taken. As Brandon walked away, Gritty got out of his chair, “took a running start,” and “punched my son as hard as he could,” Greenwell said Wednesday.
Officials at Comcast Spectacor , the company that owns the Flyers, told Greenwell there is no video footage of the incident because the “cameras in that area of the center are focused on other locations,” according to emails between Greenwell and officials. The company claimed it conducted an investigation that included interviews with Gritty, and “Gritty’s handler,” but couldn’t verify Greenwell’s account.
After the alleged punch, Greenwell emailed officials at Comcast Spectacor , first complaining of the “lousy picture” with the mascot who didn’t look at the camera. Then he raised the “more serious and disappointing” concern.
“I know it was not correct for my son to harmlessly tap him on his head but for a Flyers employee to get (sic) throw a full punch at someone with his back turned and hurt a 13 year old boy is assault, unprofessional and unacceptable for your organization,” he wrote.
Comcast Spectacor officials said there was no proof that Gritty hit the boy, but offered special perks to make up for the “bad experience.” Greenwell suggested the Flyers show his son on the giant scoreboard or let him into the locker room to meet players and get autographs. The company offered to sit Brandon on the players’ bench during warm-ups before a future game.