An altercation between a Tampa Bay Lightning fan and a Florida Panthers mascot on Monday was not staged, and has prompted an investigation by the Panthers, a team spokesperson said.
A video posted on Twitter by a fan inside FLA Live Arena showed a fan in a blue shirt grab Viktor E. Ratt, one of Florida’s two mascots, and pull the anthropomorphic rat’s shirt over its head. Another, tweeted by another fan, showed the mascot holding a Lightning jersey, which the mascot eventually throws into the crowd.
Neither stadium security nor local police intervene at any point, prompting natural questions about whether the the incident was staged. The Panthers, however, said it was not.
