DUI arrest will sideline West Virginia’s main Mountaineer mascot indefinitely

You didn’t need binoculars to see this move coming from a country mile away.

Early Friday morning, Troy Clemons was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence after failing multiple field sobriety tests and blowing a .126 BAC on a breathalyzer test. Clemons is in his second year as The Mountaineer mascot, with the off-field incident leaving his status for No. 22 WVU’s game against No. 11 Oklahoma State in Morgantown very much up in the air.

Not long after the news of the arrest went public, WVU clarified his status in announcing that Clemons has essentially been indefinitely suspended from his mascot duties. Below is the university’s statement:

West Virginia University is aware of this morning’s arrest of Troy Clemons, currently the Mountaineer Mascot, for speeding and misdemeanor driving under the influence. While the Mountaineer Mascot Advisory Council gathers and reviews all the facts, Troy will not participate in any mascot-related duties or appearances, including the events surrounding Saturday’s football game. As the alternate Mountaineer, those duties will be handled by Trevor Kiess, a junior accounting major minoring in pre-law and legal studies from Elkins. In addition to any legal outcomes, Troy — as any other WVU student — will be subject to appropriate student conduct proceedings.

Clemons, a graduate student majoring in business administration, is the 64th Mountaineer mascot in the university’s history. He will be replaced on the field for Saturday’s game by Trevor Kiess, who was chosen as the first alternate in voting earlier this year that resulted in Clemons getting his second year in the famed buckskins.