AUSTIN, Texas — Animal rights organization PETA is pushing to have Texas Longhorns mascot Bevo banned from the Cotton Bowl Classic.
On Thursday, the organization sent a letter to the SEC urging Bevo to be blocked from attending Friday’s game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. PETA said in its letter that subjecting Bevo to the bright lights, loud noises and rowdy stadium will leave him stressed and terrified.
PETA’s letter also cited an incident in the 2019 Sugar Bowl when Bevo charged toward Uga, a live bulldog who serves as the University of Georgia’s mascot.
The full letter the organization sent to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is below:
“Dear Commissioner Sankey:
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was highly concerned to see that Bevo would be attending the Cotton Bowl Classic at the AT&T Stadium this Friday. After being banned from the SEC Championship game in December and the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day because of safety and sideline space issues, it is wildly irresponsible to allow him to attend the Cotton Bowl Classic. We urge you to bar this senseless and dangerous stunt.
Bevo deserves to spend his days grazing with his herd. Being forced into a stadium full of bright lights, screaming fans, and frightening noises is stressful—even terrifying—for sensitive, intelligent animals like longhorns, and this stress could cause Bevo to react in ways that might result in injury to himself or others, as we saw back in 2019 when he charged Uga at the Sugar Bowl.
The public increasingly opposes using live animals as “spectacles” at sporting events. This is evidenced by the recent LSU debacle where a live tiger was carted out in a cage to a football game. Following the event, the student government unanimously passed a resolution pushing LSU leadership to ban all live tigers.
Ethical, professional teams like the Dallas Cowboys use costumed human mascots rather than animals. Rowdy and other human mascots can safely ride four-wheelers, toss t-shirts to the crowd, and mock opponents—all things a frightened animal can’t do.
Please consider the fear and stress Bevo will no doubt experience on Friday and the danger you put all players, staff, cheerleaders, media, and fans in by allowing a 1,700-pound longhorn steer on the sidelines.
I look forward to hearing from you.”
Bevo was previously banned from attending two Longhorn games in Atlanta earlier this season – the SEC Championship and Peach Bowl – due to concerns about space.