NEW YORK _ The individual who wore the Mr. Met costume Wednesday and flipped off a fan will no longer wear the outfit anymore but has not been fired, a source confirmed.
More than one individual works as the team's mascot, and the Mets haven't commented beyond the statement they released Wednesday.
"We apologize for the inappropriate action of this employee," the team said in a statement released after Wednesday's 7-1 loss to the Brewers. "We do not condone this type of behavior. We are dealing with this matter internally."
A video emerged late Wednesday that showed Mr. Met flipping off a fan as he walked down a passageway. The video is just three seconds long, and the individual who uploaded it, (at)tonyt3535, said in a tweet he and his friends were asking for a high five.
"Literally was with my friends and we didn't even say a word, just reaching over for a high five. Listen to the video," the user tweeted.
Mr. Met, who is active on twitter and has a friendly rivalry with ace Noah Syndergaard, has not commented on the issue via twitter. Several players laughed and shook their heads Thursday while hearing about a mascot actually flipping off a customer.
Technically, Mr. Met only has four fingers so he does not have a middle finger, although his gesture made it pretty clear what his message to the fans was.
This incident is the latest in what has been a rough but drama-filled start to the season for the Mets, who entered Thursday's game against the Brewers with a 23-28 record.
Syndergaard refused to undergo an MRI in April before suffering a partially torn lat muscle, and a sex toy was seen in Kevin Plawecki's locker in May. Starter Matt Harvey also was suspended for three games without pay for not arriving for a game.
Mr. Met was unveiled in 1963 before making his debut April 17, 1964, and was MLB's first "modern live-action mascot" according to the Mets' website. In a rather ironic line, the team's description of Mr. Met says "he may be quiet now, but can gesture in 12 different languages." The sign he gave that fan Wednesday was rather universal.
