Denver Nuggets being sued by ‘Rocky the Mountain Lion’
Former mascot Drake Solomon claims he was wrongly dismissed following an operation during 2022-23 NBA season.
NBA’s Denver Nuggets have a legal problem on their hands after former Nuggets mascot, Drake Solomon filed a lawsuit against the team’s parent company, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE). The lawsuit was filed in Denver District Court on August 13, 2025.
Solomon, who performed as “Rocky the Mountain Lion,” claims he was wrongfully terminated after undergoing hip replacement surgery. The lawsuit alleges that the Nuggets violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by discriminating against him based on a disability and retaliating against him.
According to the lawsuit, Solomon began experiencing hip pain during the 2022-2023 season and was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a condition that causes bone tissue to die. He had a procedure in 2023, but the pain persisted, and he eventually required a full hip replacement in April 2024.
Solomon claims that before his surgery, his supervisors told him the team would hold tryouts for the mascot position because they considered him “unreliable” due to his medical history.
After returning to work following his successful surgery, he alleges he faced a “hostile work environment.” He was fired in August 2024, shortly after the tryouts. The lawsuit also claims that KSE offered him a severance agreement that violated Colorado’s Protecting Opportunities and Workers’ Rights Act and that other employees may have been given similar unlawful agreements, opening the door for a potential class-action lawsuit.
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