Vikings Phase Out Horned Mascot Ragnar

Ragnar, whose real name is Joe Juranitch, has been a presence at Vikings games since 1994. However, he was conspicuously absent from the team’s home opener against Detroit on Sunday, and fans took notice.

“It doesn’t feel right sitting at home,” Ragnar captioned a photo on Facebook that showed him sadly watching the game on television. “This is not by my choice…I don’t make those decisions..At this point it was made for me. I miss all my fans and your support …let’s all stay positive as we move forward.”

Reached for comment by KARE, the Vikings offered a statement laden with corporate mumbo jumbo that basically amounted to “We fired his ass”:

"“This offseason, Joe Juranitch’s (Ragnar) contract with the Vikings expired. Since then the team has had multiple conversations with Joe but has not been able to reach an agreement on his role with the team moving forward. The Vikings greatly appreciate what Ragnar has meant to the organization and to the fans over the last two decades. We intend to honor his 21 seasons on the field during a 2015 Vikings home game and we will welcome him to future ceremonial events. We will always consider Ragnar an important part of Vikings history.”"

A Change.org petition to Zygi Wilf to reinstate Ragnar already has over 6,000 signatures. This feels like the type of circumstance where the damage will be undone.

UPDATE: Perhaps Ragnar’s demands were a bit high: