Just over two weeks ago, kinesiology junior Matt Stolt enjoyed a simple life as a walk-on wide receiver for the UH football team who doubled as the Cougars’ male mascot, Shasta.
That all changed after Stolt suffered what he called an assault at the hands of the University of Oregon mascot, the Duck, during the Cougars’ season-opening 48-27 loss to Oregon on Sept. 1.
Videos of the fight first surfaced on YouTube and were featured on the front pages of Web sites such as yahoo.com, msn.com and cnn.com. It was also given airtime on networks such as ESPN and CNN.
The altercation was brought about largely because Stolt, 21, did push-ups on the field in the first and second half at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., each time the Cougars scored – a tradition also shared by Oregon’s mascot. Portrayed by two students that day, the Duck was offended in the second half and began kicking and punching Stolt.
And to that point, Stolt maintains that he refused to go blow-for-blow with the Duck because he did not want to tarnish the University’s image.
"That wasn’t Matt Stolt fighting the Duck. It was Shasta," Stolt said Sunday. "And Matt Stolt would kick the Duck’s ass, straight up.
"I’m a football player, and I do my business, but Shasta is UH. It’s not a part about beating up the Duck for the glory. I mean, Shasta got his hits in and he was respectful. The Duck was out of line," said Stolt.
The Duck’s actions spurred University of Oregon athletic officials to suspend the mascot for Oregon’s subsequent home game, a 52-21 win over Fresno State on Saturday. Other unspecified disciplinary actions were also taken against the two Oregon students, whose names were not released.
Stolt, who returned to action for the Cougars’ 34-10 victory over Tulane Saturday in New Orleans, said that he agreed with Oregon’s decision to suspend the Duck for one home game.
"If I did that in my home stadium to another mascot with my fans, and I did disgusting gestures and all that stuff, I would expect to be suspended by (UH band director) David Bertman and (head football coach) Art Briles," Stolt said. "For being on the football team, I would probably get worse punishment after that."
However, some don’t think the punishment was harsh enough.
English and print journalism senior Ashley Hess, who has served for four years as the Cougars’ female mascot Sasha, said that the Duck should face further disciplinary action because of the embarrassment it caused Stolt and the University.
"Personally, I think the guys who play the Duck should be stripped of their positions because what they did was completely uncalled for," Hess said. "If not that, then some greater action needs to be taken because not only did they physically harm Matt, but they also hurt our (school’s) image."
