Caught on video: Mr. Met flips the bird at fans

NEW YORK — The Mets' struggles this season on the field may have taken a toll on Mr. Met.

A fan tweeted a very brief video of the beloved mascot giving them the finger as he walked on a ramp headed toward the locker room, while the Mets were losing to the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field Wednesday night. The video quickly went viral.

The video does not show what may have set Mr. Met off.

"We apologize for the inappropriate action of this employee. We do not condone this type of behavior. We are dealing with this matter internally," the Mets said in a statement on the team website.

A Mets official told The Associated Press more than one person wears the Mr. Met costume during each season, and the person who wore it Wednesday night will not do so again. The Mets official spoke on condition of anonymity because the statement from the organization was the team's only authorized comment.

Mr. Met has been a part of the team since 1964, although he was phased out by the team in 1979 in favor of "Mettle the Mule," whose name was selected by a Mercerville woman, according to a 2010 New York Times story. "Mettle" trotted along the baselines at Shea Stadium for one season and was retired when Fred Wilpon took ownership of the team.

Mr. Met stayed retired until 1994 when, according to the Times, Lois Kauffman asked the team to bring him back.

New 'Jersey' Guys podcast co-host Chris Swendeman couldn't recall another similar incident with an area team mascot, but said the Phillie Phanatic has had some legal trouble.

Seventy-five-year-old Grace Crass sued the team in 2008, according to Fox Sports, for the mascot climbing over the elderly woman and hurting her arthritic knees. The legal site Law360 reported that the Phillies settled a suit in 2010 with a woman who said he was pushed into the pool of an Avalon hotel by a man wearing the costume.

WARNING: LANGUAGE NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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