Outgoing LSU president reacts to ‘strange’ Omar the Tiger appearance during 2024 season
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Outgoing LSU president William Tate took some time on his way out of the job to talk with Baton Rouge station WBRZ on a range of topics. One of those topics was a highly controversial one when Omar the Tiger was on the sidelines for last fall’s football showdown against Alabama.
It was an old LSU football tradition to have a live tiger on the sidelines. But that tradition went by the wayside, with complaints by many, including PETA, bringing the longtime tradition to a sudden end. That’s why when it was brought back for that 1 game, which just happened to be a nationally televised game against Alabama, there was widespread controversy, complaints and distraction from the actual game.
PETA implored LSU to “grow a spine” and say no to having the live tiger tradition brought back. The tiger used for the Alabama game was not even Mike VII. Instead, it was a Bengal tiger who was named Omar Bradley. The whole idea to reinstitute the tradition for the Alabama game was the brainchild of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who, according to the Louisiana Illuminator had held talks with the college’s veterinary school for many weeks about bringing in the live tiger.
Now, 7 months after the whole tiger ordeal, Tate talked to WBRZ about his feelings on the whole thing. Before Tate could even get a word out on his opinion, he laughed out loud for a few seconds, perhaps telling people what he thought before he even spoke a word.
“My overall take: I’m a big Mike fan. Mike is my tiger. Omar, his cousin, it was a little strange. But I will say this: I’m thankful we were able to make sure that Mike was secure and taken care of. … That will go down as an epic few months of my life that I’ll never get back,” said Tate.
Here is the clip from Tate’s interview with the local station:
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Tate is safely done with his tenure as LSU’s president, and now Matt Lee will step in as the interim president. Time will tell if there is more live tiger controversy on tap for this fall, but 1 is for certain: Tate won’t have to spend any more time worrying about the controversy, and if there is more in store, it will be the new president’s issue to deal with.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
