Ex-Rocky Mascot Files Class-Action Suit

DENVER — Drake Solomon, the former performer behind the Denver Nuggets’ beloved SuperMascot Rocky, is suing Kroenke Sports & Entertainment for disability discrimination, according to court documentation obtained by Denver Sports.

It is, in part, a class-action lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday against KSE. Solomon’s lawyers at Rathod Mohamedbhai claim KSE created a hostile work environment once he returned from surgery, including retaliation, and that Solomon’s firing violated both the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) and Colorado’s Protecting Opportunities and Workers’ Rights (POWR) Act.

Drake is the son of Kenn Solomon, who was the original person playing Rocky and turned the mascot into a Mile High City icon. Kenn served that role for more than 30 years before handing off the gig to his son. Kenn returned during the Nuggets’ 2022–23 championship season while Drake recovered from surgeries that ultimately led to a hip replacement.

Drake got the job full-time in 2021 but was diagnosed with avascular necrosis and underwent surgery to treat his condition during the 2022-23 season. He returned to performing as Rocky just 10 days later, but continued to experience hip pain. That led to a hip replacement during the 2023-24 season. Solomon claims that at this time, representatives from the team notified him that tryouts would be held for the job of Rocky due to the team’s concerns about his health.

Solomon says he quickly returned to work again and was healthy, but experienced a hostile work environment as well as a confirmation that the team would still be conducting try-outs for his position because he had “burned them last time.” Solomon was fired after the tryouts, which his attorneys say violated his rights under CADA.

His lawyers say the severance package he received “violates nearly every provision of the POWR Act. Because KSE may have violated the POWR Act each time it offered a severance agreement like the one given to Solomon, this part of the lawsuit is class-action and open to other former KSE employees who received severance packages since 2023.

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