Resolution honoring Gritty passed by Philadelphia City Council

Gritty is the first Philadelphia mascot to be honored with a resolution by City Council, according to council staffers.

Gritty was honored with a resolution by Philadelphia City Council Thursday.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

Published Oct. 25, 2018, 4:52 p.m. ET

Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution honoring Gritty Thursday — just a month and a day after he was introduced as the Flyers' new mascot — but the hirsute hockey hooligan didn't show up for the tribute.

According to his Twitter feed, he was too busy hate reading about himself in The Hockey News magazine.

Classic Gritty!

Actually, Gritty is expected to waddle down to City Hall to receive his honor in person once council staffers sort out a date with his handlers, according to Melissa McCleery, director of communications for City Councilwoman Helen Gym, who introduced the resolution.

Gritty is the first Philadelphia mascot to be honored with a resolution by City Council, according to McCleery, which means the Phanatic is somewhere right now drowning his snout in a citywide special and asking where it all went wrong.

Gym — who is known for her advocacy of human rights and education — seems like an unlikely member of City Council to draft a resolution honoring Gritty, which makes it all the more perfect that she was the one to do so.

"We like to have a little fun around here. But really, Gritty captured our hearts and minds. When I saw Gritty swing from the rafters to Wrecking Ball, I knew we had something special," she said in a statement. "There are few other things that have brought people together here the way Gritty has. Plus, I'm dying to get a Gritty hug."

Um, if City Council is passing resolutions just to get hugs, has anyone consider honoring University of Pennsylvania alumni John Legend yet? We're asking for a friend.

As word spread of the resolution Thursday, many Philadelphians rejoiced at the news.

But not everyone was pleased by the absurdity of it all.

Mentioned in the resolution is Gritty's "Delco beard," his "maniacal smile" and his "Wookiee-esque grotesquerie." The resolution notes he's been immortalized by John Oliver, in the pages of the Wall Street Journal, and in a tattoo on someone's leg.

"As there is a small part of every Philadelphian embedded in the soul of Gritty, he is never alone," the resolution reads. "Gritty joins a renowned cadre of Philadelphia sports mascot colleagues that will teach him how to keep the spirits of Philadelphia sports fans high despite our inevitable misery."

Now that's the Philadelphia spirit!