Don’t Bully Bevo! PETA Calls for Live Longhorn Mascot to Be Spared Cotton Bowl Attendance

For Immediate Release:
January 9, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Today, PETA sent a letter to Southeastern Conference (SEC) Commissioner Greg Sankey urging him to block the University of Texas (UT) at Austin from bringing its live-animal mascot, a longhorn steer named Bevo, to the Cotton Bowl Classic this Friday.

The SEC previously prohibited UT-Austin from bringing Bevo to both the SEC Championship game and the Peach Bowl because of safety and space concerns—and PETA points out that these concerns continue, as do Bevo’s own interests. PETA’s letter notes that subjecting a steer to the bright lights, loud noises, and chaos of a rowdy football stadium full of screaming fans can leave him stressed and terrified and can be dangerous for everyone involved. In a frightening incident before the Sugar Bowl in 2019, Bevo broke free of the metal pen he was confined in and charged at the Georgia Bulldogs’ live-animal mascot, nearly trampling him on the sidelines.

“Bevo is not a prop, and subjecting him to the stress of being packed up, hauled from town to town, and paraded around as a sideline spectacle is not only cruel, it’s a recipe for disaster,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is urging the SEC to make sure that UT-Austin only brings willing human mascots like Hook ‘Em to the Cotton Bowl.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Sankey follows.

January 9, 2025

Greg Sankey, Commissioner

Southeastern Conference

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.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President