First Michael Vick, now this:
UPDATE 3/2/11: The fine came down today: Two game suspension, $650 fine.
Owl kicked by Luis Moreno dies [AP via ESPN]
Mascot owl in Colombia goes into shock and dies [AP via Yahoo! Sports]
An injured owl that was kicked off the field by a player during a match between Colombian soccer clubs has died from shock.
Veterinarian Camilo Tapia said the owl went into shock Tuesday after it was taken in for treatment two days earlier.
The owl landed near the corner of the field on Sunday during a match in Barranquilla between home club Atletico Junior and Deportivo Pereira. Pereira defender Luis Moreno walked over and kicked the owl about three meters (yards) to get it off the field.There is video of the incident going around the Internet. I won't provide a link to one of them because it's tough to watch, and we certainly don't endorse that kind of behavior here. Luis Moreno did apologize after the attack:
“I want to apologize to the fans,” Moreno said after the game, a 2-1 victory by Atletico Junior. “I was not trying to hurt the owl. I did it to see if it would fly. What I wanted to do was get it off the field. The kick was a product of tension on the field at the time.”It's tough to accept the apology after viewing the video, as it looked like Moreno treated the owl like it was the game ball. Could it have been too much to ask to pause the game so that someone could gently get the owl off the field?
UPDATE 3/2/11: The fine came down today: Two game suspension, $650 fine.
Owl kicked by Luis Moreno dies [AP via ESPN]
Mascot owl in Colombia goes into shock and dies [AP via Yahoo! Sports]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
