The Denver Nuggets could be headed to court over the man who used to bring their mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion, to life.
Former Nuggets performer Drake Solomon has filed a lawsuit against Kroenke Sports & Entertainment in Denver District Court, claiming wrongful termination after undergoing hip replacement surgery during the 2023-24 season, according to Denverite.
The suit alleges violations of Colorado’s Protecting Opportunities and Workers’ Rights Act and aims to become a class action, seeking damages for Solomon and other KSE employees. His former supervisors are also named as defendants.
Solomon, a second-generation Rocky, his father Kenn originated the role in 1990, took over in 2021 after being the only person invited to a closed-door tryout.
But during the Nuggets’ 2022-23 championship run, he developed hip pain in both joints, leading to a diagnosis of avascular necrosis.
He underwent bilateral core decompression surgery, but the pain persisted, forcing his father out of retirement to fill in. Before his hip replacement in 2024, Solomon claims his supervisors made it clear they were looking for a new Rocky.
“They just said I burned them last time and that they didn’t want to bank on the second surgery working out,” Solomon told Denverite. “They were like, ‘We don’t know if it’s gonna work out this time because the first time it didn’t work out.’
“I didn’t get any kind of welcoming back, not that I needed that. But, my higher-ups wouldn’t even look at me or talk to me when we all worked in the same office. And it wasn’t until finally they talked to me when, you know, it was time to talk about having tryouts. So that was pretty tough.”
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