Jazz Absurdly Fire Man Who Portrayed Bear Mascot

It’s a sad day in sports.

Some shocking news coming out of about the ​Utah Jazz. It has nothing to do with the team on the court (per se), but they did just fire Jon Absey, who is the person that has acted as the ​Utah Jazz Bear since the character’s inception in 1994.

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— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) Detailed Looks at the Air Jordan 1 High '85 "UNC" PE

​The reason behind Absey being let go is unknown at this time, but for those who are wondering, Jazz Bear will continue to be around, but with a different actor inside the furry suit. And it all starts tonight when Utah plays the Golden State Warriors.

The Jazz do plan to keep the Jazz Bear mascot with a different actor inside tonight against GSW.



— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) Detailed Looks at the Air Jordan 1 High '85 "UNC" PE

“The Jazz Bear will continue to be one of the most iconic mascots in the NBA,” team spokesman Frank Zang said Friday afternoon. “Out of respect for its character, which is separate from any employee ever associated with it, we have never discussed its identity. We do not discuss individual personnel matters.”

Oh, okay.

It must be something semi-serious, as Absey was in the bear costume last year and won the NBA’s 2017-18 Mascot of the Year award, the fifth time his portrayal has won. This guy was even inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006!

​Air Jordan 3.

This article first appeared on 12up.