Denver Nuggets Dealing With Unexpected Lawsuit

Per the Denver Post, "Drake Solomon, who performed as Rocky, the Denver Nuggets mascot, is suing the franchise’s parent company for alleged wrongful termination and disability-based discrimination. Solomon took over as Rocky when his father, Kenn Solomon, retired in 2021.

He alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) fired him in August 2024, months after he had hip replacement surgery to combat avascular necrosis (AVN)."

Avascular necrosis is a condition where bone tissue dies due to a lack of blood supply. It's commonly seen in knees, hips, and shoulders, and it can cause joints to collapse completely. Some of the treatments can be crazy, including core decompression, which is when they drill a hole in the bone to relieve pressure. He ended up just having the hip replacement surgery.

"Solomon had the surgery on April 2, 2024, and alleges in the lawsuit that he came back to a hostile work environment when he returned to work on May 20. He performed the duties of his job during the summer of 2024, but KSE held tryouts for the position ahead of the 2024-25 season," The Denver Post also reported.

First of all, that's an incredibly fast turnaround for a hip replacement surgery. He says he met all of the physical requirements, but that seems nearly impossible.

What Will Come of This Lawsuit?

Wrongful termination can be difficult to prove, but a settlement is always a likely possibility before it reaches court if the Nuggets just want to sweep this under the rug and move on. They could always argue that Solomon was no longer physically fit to be a mascot, and a mascot goes through more than you might expect.

They could also argue that he hadn't been performing at a high enough level, but how can one prove that about a mascot? It's an interesting case, but one that would be difficult to prove on both sides, like many lawsuits are. The Nuggets could just say they wanted to get someone younger or in better shape, and nothing could be done about that.