Outrageous reason NBA mascot claims he was fired as he hits back with lawsuit
By ISABEL BALDWIN
A former Denver Nuggets mascot is hitting back after being fired by the franchise's ownership group.
Drake Solomon, who had portrayed the Nuggets' mascot Rocky since 2021 when his father Kenn retired, was fired by the team in August 2024.
Solomon has now sued Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), the team's ownership group, alleging disability discrimination and an unlawful severance offer.
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The lawsuit contends the Nuggets violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act through discrimination on the basis of disability, retaliation, and two claims of aiding and abetting unfair employment practices against his KSE supervisors, according to the Denver Post.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Nuggets organization for comment.
Solomon, whose father had performed as Rocky for more than 30 years before he took over the role, claims that he was wrongfully terminated after undergoing double hip replacement surgery.
A former Denver Nuggets mascot has sued the organization after being fired last August
He says that he was diagnosed with avascular necrosis (AVN), a painful bone condition, during the Nugget's 2023 championship-winning season, which impacted his ability to perform.
After Solomon was diagnosed with AVN, he first underwent bilateral core decompression surgery in March 2023.
However, the surgery did not fix the issues and, in February 2024, he reportedly notified his superiors of his need to undergo total hip replacement surgery, according to the lawsuit.
KSE allegedly informed Solomon just several weeks later that they would be hosting tryouts for the position 'regardless of the outcome' of his surgery, citing a lack of confidence in his health. Solomon claims he told his superiors that doctors had informed him that he would return to full health in three months.
'It came to a point where I was on the court shooting a half-court shot with tears dripping down my face,' Solomon told CBS News. 'It's hard thinking about those times. I really wanted to bring the same energy.'
Solomon says he felt ready to return to the role following surgery but was never given the chance, which felt like a 'betrayal.'
He underwent the procedure in April 2024 and returned to work the following month, performing his duties throughout the summer, according to the lawsuit.
However, KSE still pushed forward with the tryouts. Solomon claims he met all the physical requirements and helped teach the other applicants how to dunk in the Rocky costume but KSE terminated his contract on August 13, 2024.
Drake Solomon had portrayed the Nuggets' mascot Rocky since 2021 until last summer
Solomon has now sued Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE). Pictured owner Stan Kroenke
The lawsuit claims that Solomon was not given a reason for his firing at the time but KSE later claimed he was terminated because he did not score first in the tryouts.
He was allegedly offered offered $20,000 and a non-disclosure agreement as part of his severance agreement. But he refused the package, claiming that it seemed 'sketchy'.
Attorneys say the agreement violated nearly every provision of the POWR Act (Protecting Opportunities and Workers' Rights), according to CBS.
The POWR Act was passed in Colorado in 2023 and since then, Solomon believes he is not the only member of the Nuggets organization to have suffered a similar fate.
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He believes that other employees were offered similar deals and is bringing forward the lawsuit in their behalf as well as his own.
Solomon, who says he was on the court at two-weeks-old, insists he didn't want his relationship with the Nuggets to come to an end like this.
'Never wanted things to go down this way,' he told CBS. 'But there are things they could've handled better -- not just with me -- but with others as well.'
Kenn Solomon, Drake's father, originated the Rocky role, making his debut in December 1990.
He acted as the Nuggets mascot for more than three decades before retiring in 2021.
Drake first joined the organization as a member of the 'Promo Squad' in 2012. He also served as the backup mascot and his father's game-night assistant before taking over the role full time in 2021.
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