After some recent bans and a near-disastrous incident a few years ago, PETA has once again urged the Southeastern Conference not to allow Texas to have its live mascot, the longhorn Bevo, in Friday's Cotton Bowl playoff game. .
Bevo was excluded from Texas' last two games outside the Lone Star State, both at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Friday's College Football Playoff semifinal will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, about three hours north of campus and Bevo's natural habitat.
Bevo is scheduled to be in the Dallas Metroplex for the Cotton Bowl, where the winner will face Notre Dame in the national championship on January 20.
That hasn't stopped PETA from sending a letter to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey about the matter.
“Dear Commissioner Sankey, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was very concerned to see that Bevo would be attending the Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium this Friday,” the letter said. 'After being excluded from the SEC Championship Game in December and the Peach Bowl on New Year's Day due to safety and sideline spacing issues, it is wildly irresponsible to allow him to attend the Cotton Bowl Classic. We urge you to ban this dangerous and meaningless trick.
PETA has urged the SEC not to allow live mascot Bevo on the sidelines of the Cotton Bowl
Texas will play Ohio State in the CFP semifinal on Friday night with its longhorns in tow.
'Bevo deserves to spend his days grazing with his flock. Being forced into a stadium filled with bright lights, screaming fans, and scary noises is stressful, even frightening, for sensitive, intelligent animals like longhorns, and this stress could cause Bevo to react in ways that could lead to injury to itself. himself or others. as we saw in 2019 when he attacked Uga in the Sugar Bowl.
'The public is increasingly opposed to the use of live animals as “spectacles” at sporting events. This is evidenced by the recent LSU debacle, when a live tiger was brought in a cage to a football game. After the event, the student government unanimously passed a resolution pressuring LSU leaders to ban all live tigers.
'Ethical and professional teams like the Dallas Cowboys use costumed human mascots instead of animals. Rowdy and other human pets can ride safely on four-wheeled vehicles, throw T-shirts into the crowd and taunt their opponents – things a scared animal can't do.'
“Please consider the fear and stress that Bevo will undoubtedly experience on Friday and the danger you are putting all players, staff, cheerleaders, media and fans by allowing a 1,700-pound longhorn steer to roam.” stay out of it.”
College football fans will remember Bevo's near-tragic incident with Georgia's live Bulldog mascot, Uga, in 2019, when the steer charged the canine during pregame warmups.
Neither the SEC nor Texas responded to the request, and Bevo is expected to be inside Jerry World for the penultimate game of the college football season.