Mascot arrested after throwing snowballs at opposing fans

The University of Cincinnati's mascot was sidelined in the Bearcats' game against Pittsburgh on Saturday after he threw snowballs into the stands.

The costumed student, identified as M. Robert Garfield III, was told to stop throwing the snowballs, according to school officials, before pushing a security guard to the ground.



"He was throwing them (snowballs) at the crowd and so of course, people threw back and missed him and hit other people,” University of Cincinnati Police Capt. Jeff Corcoran said. "The officer asked him to stop and he took exception to that.” He was detained and cited for disorderly conduct.

"It's fairly common for people to throw things at games – not just for us but anywhere. Fortunately, we usually don’t see snow until after the football season," Corcoran said. "My personal suspicion is that it started as a joke and things got out of hand, which happen occasionally. But it's usually the attendees, so this is a bit unusual for us." A backup mascot came in to finish the game after half-time.