The guy whose job it was to handle the eagle mascot for an Italian soccer team no longer has that job and may have a difficult time explaining why during any future interviews.
According to The Associated Press, falconer Juan Bernabé was fired by the Lazio club because he went online and posted photos and videos of his prosthetic penis.
“Shocked to see the photographic images and video of Mr. Juan Bernabè and to read the statements that accompanied them, Lazio announces that it has stopped, with immediate effect, all relationship with this person, given the seriousness of his behavior,” Lazio says in a statement.
Bernabé was in charge of a real-life eagle that would fly over Lazio’s stadium during pregame ceremonies. With Bernabé now out of the picture for posting pictures, the Lazio’s games will be without an eagle for the time being.
“The club realizes — and shares — the pain that the fans will feel at the loss of the eagle in the next home games, but believes that it is not possible to be associated … with a person who, by his own initiative, has made the continuation of the relationship unacceptable,” Lazio says.
In addition to having what was deemed to be an inappropriate online presence, Bernabé also apparently has some controversial political views. The AP reports that Bernabé was previously suspended in 2021 after giving a fascist salute at a game while referencing adulation for former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.